THE search is on for the Winemakers’ Choice, wine of the year.
Entries for the 2008 Winemakers’ Choice Diamond Awards are now open for any accredited winemaking estate or registered garigiste – who is willing to accept the challenge of being judged by their peers, for top honours in South Africa’s toughest awards challenge.
The closing date for entries is 15 August, and the Awards Dinner will take place on 17 September at the Stellenbosch Town Hall. Entry forms can be downloaded from www.winemakerschoice.co.za.
Now in its fourth successful year, the Winemakers’ Choice Diamond Awards is an annual challenge for wines which are ‘judged’ by the assembled winemakers and not ‘graded’ - the only awards system in South Africa to operate under these guidelines.
The panel of twenty-five selected winemakers who vie each year to be included in the judging process, carefully and rigorously taste each of the entered wines and through a series of discussions, eliminate those wines that do not meet the stringent requirements.
To make this process even fairer, the judges are precluded from handling the bottles and seeing the often unique tops of the bottles, so that each wine that is tasted is done so on the merit of the grape itself - making this possibly, the most strictest judging process and possibly the most desirable to be adjudicated by. No peer pressure here! (well not much…)
“When wines are entered into an awards system the winners should be based on a general consensus identifying the best in category and not through a tallied score where there is very often a fine line between each level,” says Robyn Patterson, managing director, Winemakers’ Choice.
“Judging is what Winemakers’ Choice Diamond Awards focuses on and we believe can only be done through extensive discussions against all entries we receive, which sets us apart from any other awards system in South Africa.”
Only the best in each of the categories are given honours with the overall winner, be it red or white, sweet or dry, awarded the prestigious Diamond Award.
* Lest we forget the winemakers themselves, 2008 will mark the first time that recognition will be conferred on the winemaker him/herself. This is another first for Winemakers’ Choice and for the wine industry (either locally or internationally).
As a mark of respect and recognition, a Diamond Award will now be awarded to the winemaker whose wines have demonstrated overall superiority during the judging process.
As only one winemaker can achieve only one Diamond Winemaker Award per year, this prestigious accolade will be a sought after achievement by any winemaker. It will allow winemakers to gain recognition for their efforts and service to the industry.
