An old champ returns
2008-06-12
WELL-KNOWN Paarl winery Nederburg beat several more favoured competitors to take the Fairbairn Capital Trophy for the most successful producer at the 2008 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. The competition, judged over four days in early May at the Grande Roche in Paarl, attracted a record 1 024 entries from 230 cellars. Nederburg secured the Most Successful Producer slot with a trophy for their Private Bin D234 Sauvignon Blanc 2007 as the Best Unwooded Sauvignon Blanc on the show, a gold medal for their Private Bin S316 Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2004 plus four silver medals and seven bronze medals. Saronsberg Cellar secured second position in the Most Successful Producer rankings, followed by JP Bredell Wines in third spot. The trophy for Best Chenin Blanc went to SAAM Mountain Middelburg Chenin Blanc 2007 while the trophy for Best White Blend went to the Tokara White 2006. SAAM is a joint venture between Perdeberg Winery’s 44 grower members and Bibendum Wine Limited, a big player among the UK Agencies. SAAM wines are made at Perdeberg’s cellar currently although the official SAAM home will eventually switch to an old cellar on the farm Eenzaamheid. This year’s competition yielded 24 gold medals in total - exactly the same number as 2007 and 2006. The silver medal count of 52 was higher than in 2007 and more in line with the average yield for the past five years. The bronze medal tally of 242 was a significant improvement on 2007 (by 38%) and slightly higher than the average percentage since the inaugural 2002 show. Feedback at the post-judging judges’ feedback session focused on the strength of certain classes – notably white blends, wooded whites (including Sauvignon Blanc), Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, fortified and dessert wines. The judges were particularly pleased with the top Merlot and the overall quality of the Shiraz category. “We’ve seen elegance, finesse and complexity that I’ve never seen in South African wines before. So quality has moved on, diversity is starting to come through,” said the chairman of the Shiraz panel, Sam Harrop. With reference to the strong showing of the 2006 reds which accounted for all the gold medals in the Shiraz and Cabernet classes, Harrop commented: “The big difference between the 2005 and 2006 vintage is that the 06s are so much more approachable texturally”. Cape Town’s 2008 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show Roadshow will take place today from 17:00 to 20:00 at the Westin Grand Cape Town Arabella Quays. Tickets are R90 from Computicket oor die door. Seventy five medal winners can be tasted.
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