What I Drank Last Night

The Rudera brand has had its ups and downs in recent times but finally seems to have a happy and potentially prosperous future ahead of it. It was founded by renowned winemaker Teddy Hall and wife Riana in 1999 but when they split, ownership fell to Riana and a succession of winemakers followed.  Wines under [...]

Lula Afrika. An easy-drinking range made by Jasper Raats during his stint as winemaker at Rudera Wines in Stellenbosch. The Chenin Blanc Sauvingon (sic) Viognier 2009 is perfectly drinkable with peach flavour, bright acidity and a little phenolic grip on the finish. Came across it at Aroma Drop Inn on Durban Road, Mowbray selling for [...]

How wine styles change. The Rudera Robusto Chenin Blanc 2002 which won the 2005 Wine magazine Chenin Blanc Challenge famously had a residual sugar of 15.7g/l. It picked up 4½ Stars then, a rating it retained  when a retrospective of previous winners was undertaken for the February 2010 issue. If Sauvignon Blanc becomes more like [...]