Kanonkop Wine Estate

The king of cabs

I am surprised at the low rating, I mean this farm is in a league of its own…and they sell wine at R20 per glass (except for the Paul Sauer!)

This was one of our stops during the Stellenbosch Festival and I’m glad that I’ve revisited them. This time around the lady in the tasting room was friendly and passionate about their product and I enjoyed a tasting at the counter, while the others rushed of to try the “uber special” vintages in the art gallery.

Some of them were not impressed with what they tasted in the art gallery, but I decided to taste for myself. They must have had from the old bottles, cause when I went to taste the wines they opened fresh wine and it was great! They also had nice big glasses, so bonus points!

A definite improvement since my last visit! Well done guys!

The combination of art and wine always tickles me and the rurally minimalistic look got me giggling. We were set free in the gallery to taste the ‘best(?)’ of Kanonkop’s premium ranges which added something special to the Stellies Wine Fest and our visit to this winery. I would need to come back though for a decent tasting. Next stop: L’Avenir

We visited Kanonkop during the Stellenbosch Wine Festival and while the festival itself was a bit disappointing this was one of the stars. The tasting room assistant was incredible. Passionate about wine and interesting to talk to. I would go back there just to spend more time chatting to her. She gave everyone the attention they needed and even entertained another taster’s child. Wine was exceptional. Now I know what everyone was going on about. Most suprised by the Rosé, not a cheap one but most definitely worth it.

Ambience great, tasting experience ok, wine fantastic! The Paul Sauer is simply divine… Pity that the entrance boom attendant lady was more interested in her personal phone conversation (about what chops to buy) than to let us into the estate…

Love there wines very good tasting.

Still a jewel in our crown.

Stunning wine. Paul Sauer the best

Meesterlike wyne met ‘n onbesproke karakter en elle lange geskiedenis. Jy hoef nie eers te proe nie, jy kan maar net betaal en inlaai.

Superb wine

Superb Pinotage, best in SA. Nice vibe, informative host and great quality wines

I love Kanonkop’s pinotages and the Paul Sauer… They also do a vertical tasting of these two wines every now and then, which I was privileged enough to attend. Wow, the wines were good. The staff were friendly and Kanonkop’s always willing to help out the stellies uni wine soc with discounted or even free wines. Here’s a passionate winemaker that knows where the future of wine lies… with the younger people! Great wines!

Having been at Kanonkop a number of times, it is difficult to write a concise review, as the experience was different each time. The tasting room is normally very busy during tourist season and the tasting assistants are less attentive, preferring to focus on overseas tourists rather than on locals.
If you happen to visit on a quiet day the experience is a lot more positive. The tasting assistant showed good wine knowledge as well as enthusiasm for the farm’s wines, which is always a positive thing. And it is easy to get enthusiastic about Kanonkop wines. As usual, their Pinotage is peerless. I am not a big fan of the local grape, but Abrie has definitely mastered the art of getting the most out of it. Their Cabernet Sauvignon has never been exceptional to me, but it’s a decent example. Luckily I was also able to taste the new vintage Paul Sauer, and it is clear to see why it nets them so many awards.

@Andrew Gaylord – Now argument that the wine is great. But surely you visit the wine estate to find out more about these great wines and enjoy the whole experience that they have to offer. Otherwise we can all save ourselves the trip and just buy it at our local bottle store.

All real wine lovers will know that wine tasting is not about how the service of the staff is or how the tasting room looks. You cant appreciate a good wine in the last ten minutes of the day and its not about the price of the wine. Its all about whats in the bottle. Kanonkop is not an average Jo type of wine, I was there a couple of weeks ago and got the chance to taste their newly released Pinotage 2007 and their Cab Sauv 2006 which was out of this world. I give this cellar an 11 out of 10 for their wines. Brilliant.

See my review in the Cellar door shoot-out (Dec 2008) in WINE magazine – seems like things are still the same. When I visited, the farm was also “shooting blanks” – a very pretentious experience indeed.

After our first failed attempt to visit Kanonkop, we decide to give them another try on a weeks day. Our host was friendly but stiff. They wines were good, but the prices were a bit steep for my pocket unfortunately. The tasting room felt a bit like a hotel lobby.

Obviously they are selling to much booze to the Midmars and Pick’n Pays of this world to care about passionate wine lovers, driving all the way through to Stellenbosch. The security guard point us away 10 minutes before “closing time”. I guess the Kanonkop is shooting blanks.

Words don’t come easy to describe Abrie’s wine