Tim James Author
latest news & developmentsBy Giorgio, a taste of Italy at Dalla Cia
Tim James discovers the tale behind winemaker Giorgio dalla Cia’s wines and grappas.
Wet winter yields wonderful summer wine
South Africa’s white wine is getting far more acclamation than red wine receives locally and internationally.
Obsession worms its way into pinot noir
In his novel A Maggot, John Fowles gives an archaic meaning of his title word
Grappa sprung from Cape soil will lift a humble spirit
Grappa was once rough trade, the uncouth Italian peasant not fit to associate with the aristocratic grape spirit, cognac.
Eeny, meeny, miny, mourvèdre
Expertise in hedonic or aesthetic matters must always be trumped by personal taste.
Great whites make a meal out of full-blooded reds
A happy whiff of change wafts over the wines to be sold at the Cape Winemakers’ Guild auction in October.
SA’s best wines on a Platter
The latest guide to South African wines might have some flaws, but it sets an international standard.
Simple shiraz blends make for drinking comfort
Shiraz-based blends that are not too complicated but fresh and delicious are my own "house red".
SA wines take a fair step in the ethical direction
The Wine and Agricultural Industry Ethical Trade Association announced last week that a sticker would be produced for wineries that passed its audit.
Bursting the bubble
What is it about bubbles that prompt so many people to forget that the wine containing them is often either acidic or insipid?
Judging top 100 is an exercise in futility
The first of this year’s wine competitions announced its results last week and there have been the usual responses from the wine-chattering class.
Those weren’t the days in Franschhoek
The past is a foreign country peopled with incomprehensible beings. Or, in this case, it is different winelands from those we know and perhaps love.
Raise a glass of the Cape’s finest to our top 20 wineries
South Africa’s winemaking industry is evolving and only eight producers who were top of the pops in 2001 still cling to eminence.
Good value is just one aspect of a rising star
Finding good value is not always straightforward.
Enjoy a fine seat on the fruity lower rungs
On the bottom rung of the wine ladder and worrying about it? Drinking Four Cousin and sure there must be more to alcoholic sophistication than this?