Inspired by their years in South Africa, Mark & Ping co-founded a unique celebration of South African wines in the heart of Chiang Mai.
About Cape Dutch Wine Cafe
Celebrating South African Wine
We are the founders of the Cape Dutch Wine Cafe, Chiang Mai.
We have lived for many years in South Africa, and we have personal relationships with several leading wine producers in the Cape, as well as wine cellaring, distribution and storage facilities in Cape Town.
We are deeply passionate about South Africa's most esteemed vineyards and are avid wine collectors.
Connecting South Africa and Thailand
The Cape Dutch Wine Cafe specializes exclusively in sourcing ultra-premium South African wines for the Thai marketplace.
Our ambition is to connect iconic restaurants and hotels in Thailand with iconic South African wines, as well as to get these wines directly to consumers in Thailand to truly enjoy the best of South Africa.
Partnering just makes sense
We also have a unique partnership with Wine Cellar in Cape Town. Their vast experience of the wine industry, and their relationships in South Africa can help to guide our curation in the ultra-premium category.
In 2025 we secured importation permits from the Sadie Family Wines and what a way to start! We are delighted with the vote of confidence from Eben and family.
We have an additional nine Cape-based wine estates already interested in exporting to Thailand via the Cape Dutch Wine Cafe. These are all distinctly world-renowned wine producers. More news to follow later in 2025.
Our Portfolio for 2025
Columella 2023
The Columella has taken on many dimensions and interpretations over time, with quality being the central pillar, but more recently, the response to terroir has been more linear.
This 2023 Columella vintage displays strawberry aromas transitioning to dark cherry and floral perfumed aromatics. Over time, the trademark violets and perfumes will develop further; this wine is very compact.
This 2023 vintage is slightly firmer and grippier than the 2022 vintage and presents itself as a deeper-centered wine. Its tannin dynamics are similar to those of the 2019 vintage.
Recent Vintage Highlights:
- 2022 Columella:
- Tim Atkin MW: 99 points (named 'South African Red Wine of the Year') - noted for being the lightest-bodied Columella ever, with incredible concentration, perfume, and a stony finish.
- James Suckling: 98 points - described as seamless, layered, incredibly complex, with brightness of fruit and floral sweetness.
- Neal Martin (Vinous): 95 points - characterized as introspective, with fine tannins and a much "cooler" profile, excellent symmetry and focus.
- Decanter: 98 points
- Wine Advocate: 95 points
- 2021 Columella:
- Robert Parker (Wine Advocate): 98 points - "instantly impressive," firm layers of red fruit over a spicy core, fresh and nimble palate.
- James Suckling: 97 points - fragrant, polished, fabulously intense, with elegant structure.
- Neal Martin (Vinous): 96 points - very fine delineation, sleek and elegant, less powerful than older vintages but more precise.
- Tim Atkin MW: 98 points - "a remarkable run of Columellas," spicy, floral, alluring.
- Wine Spectator: 95 points
- 2020 Columella:
- Robert Parker (Wine Advocate): 98 points - "instant champion," incredibly complex, bright crunchy red fruit and seductive floral essences.
- James Suckling: 97 points - complex and deep aromas, finely textured, succulent and vibrant.
- Neal Martin (Vinous): 95 points - finely tuned and focused, pure class, beautifully balanced.
- Wine Spectator: 94 points
- Wine Enthusiast: 94 points
- 2019 Columella:
- Tim Atkin MW: 100 points - described as "harmonious as any wine can hope to be."
- Robert Parker (Wine Advocate): 96 points - impeccably balanced, gorgeously seductive, stunningly impressive.
- 2018 Columella:
- Robert Parker (Wine Advocate): 95 points - explodes with high-toned, dark red fruit, impeccable balance, succulent acidity.
- Vinous: 95 points - precise and extremely focused bouquet, wonderful energy and elegance.
Palladius 2023
In 2023, Palladius displays an incredibly bright colour for a wine after 24 months of ageing.
The inclusion of more acidic and lower alcohol-driven varieties has contributed much to the increased freshness of the resulting wine. This vintage displays a lime zesty and green apple entry of aromatics and a line of salinity that stretches throughout. On the palate, the tannins present themselves incredibly refined and balanced, intertwined with fresh acidity and a long-lasting aftertaste.
Potentially, the wine of the vintage!
Recent Vintage Highlights :
- 2022:
- 97 points: James Suckling, Neal Martin (Vinous) - described as "impressively layered and complex," "taut, fresh and saline," and "even better than the 2021."
- Eben Sadie himself notes that this vintage is "more reserved and holding back" initially, requiring time to open up.
- 2021:
- 99 points: Robert Parker's Wine Advocate - described as "Toeing the line to triple digits," "bold with waxy aromas," "succulent and bright with fantastic acid," and "devastatingly beautiful and cerebral."
- 96 points: Vinous (Antonio Galloni), James Suckling
- 2020:
- 94 points: Wine-Searcher aggregated critic reviews.
- Critic tasting note: "Eleven grape varieties were sourced from seventeen vineyards... a nose of lemon curd and hints of spices. Integrated flavors of ginger, golden apple, apricot and white tea show on the vibrant palate."
- 2019:
- 96 points: Falstaff, Tim Atkin MW
- 95 points: Robert Parker The Wine Advocate
- 93 points: Wine Spectator
- Noted for its "lifted note of vivid candied lemon," "smooth and as textured," with "a new line of freshness."
- 2018:
- 94 points: Neal Martin (Vinous)
- Described as having a "clean, pure bouquet of wax resin, pine needles, greengage plum and light chamomile scents." "Bright and vivacious on the entry and displays a wonderful waxy texture."
Rotsbank 2024
This 2024 Rotsbank bottling displays gun flint and seaweed aromas with tropical granadilla secondary flavours. There is a line of green tea, and the tannin dries out at the end of the palate.
This year is marked by incredible length and elegance on the palate.
It is one of the wines that can be slightly reduced and shy on release, and we recommend that the wine be allowed to aerate if opened early.
It is a very linear and firm style of Chenin.
Recent Vintage Highlights:
2023 Vintage:
- Tim Atkin MW: 98 points (described as "brilliant second release," "perfumed, elegant, steely and refined," with "Grand Cru Chablis-like focus and intensity").
- Neal Martin (Vinous): 97 points (noted for "gunflint tincture," "exquisite balance and energy, real complexity and drive," and "demands the finest oysters"). He suggests it's "rapidly staking a claim to be Eben Sadie's finest wine."
- James Suckling: 98 points ("Fantastic complexity and energy... incredibly lively and tense... tightness, steeliness, and a rocky minerality. Dry and salty at the end.").
- Greg Sherwood MW (Wine Safari Score): 96+/100 (described as "Crystalline and star bright," "intense, linear, incredibly focused and precise").
- Platter's South African Wine Guide: 5 Stars (describing it as a "classic in the making").
2022 Vintage (First Release):
- Robert Parker Wine Advocate (Anthony Mueller): 97 points (describing it as "a saline nose with ripe and nutty citrus blossom essences," "incredibly fresh with layers of complexity and is intensely cerebral," and "the most mineral tension and expressive mouthfeel").
- Neal Martin (Vinous): 96 points (stated it has a "penetrating granitic nose," "supremely well-balanced, taut and vibrant, with real depth and a tingle of white pepper on the finish. This is a brilliant new addition to Sadie's Old Vine Series.").
- Tim Atkin MW: 97 points (highlighting its "flinty and chiselled, with notes of wet stones and oyster shell," and "effortless concentration").
- James Suckling: 97 points.
Sonvang 2024
This maiden 2024 Sonvang vintage displays Mediterranean rosemary and herbal aromas, tangled with bright red fruit.
The wine is youthful and embryonic and hosts a slight perfect reduction that will carry it into the future. The powdery and firm tannins have class and elegance and are knotted and stitched together with the acidity to produce enormous length to the wine.
This wine needs time, and we are delighted with this maiden release.
NOTE :
The concept behind this wine is establishing a single vineyard site with futuristic grape varieties that will brace and stand in the future climate change. At the same time, the vineyard, with a myriad of dynamics and grape varieties, will enable us to produce a complex wine by virtue of its dynamics. It is very much a concept of “the whole is greater than the sum of its parts,” a quote attributed to Aristotle’s Metaphysics Book VIII.
Your Team in Thailand
Mark
Dobby & Potter
Dobby & Potter
"My retirement isn't an ending, but a new beginning. I'm passionately venturing into a business dedicated to sharing the iconic, soulful wines of South Africa"
Dobby & Potter
Dobby & Potter
Dobby & Potter
We are just here for the tummy rubs!
Ping
Dobby & Potter
Ping
"From my 10 years in South Africa, I fell in love with her culture, beauty, food and wine. Here is my chance to bring these two worlds together!'