Winemakers and wine lovers have been waiting with bated breath for the release of leading UK wine writer Tim Atkin’s latest report on the South African wine industry. Now in its eighth year of publication, it’s widely regarded as one of the most detailed and authoritative overviews of South African wine.
Kristen Duff from Publik Wine says, “Tim Atkin has not only become the foremost commentator on South African wine, but possibly also the industry’s greatest international friend and ally. What arguably sets him apart is his holistic approach – while he goes to great lengths to assess and critique the ‘objective’ quality of individual wines, his reporting also encompasses broader socio-economic and human elements.”
Tim says on his website, “Despite the well-publicised challenges it faces, South Africa is making the best wines in its history. To prepare this report under the restrictions of COVID-19, I tasted 1 381 wines in London, and had 62 Zoom calls with winemakers to replace my usual month-long tour of the Cape.”
Two wines in the report each received perfect scores of 100 points; these are only the second and third South African wines ever to receive this accolade. They are the 2018 Porseleinberg syrah from the Swartland, and the 2019 Sadie Family Skurfberg chenin blanc from Olifants River.
23 other SA wines scored 97 points or higher, with chenin blanc being the standout grape. Read the full report on timatkin.com.