ON 4 August Wellington Wine Route presents its second annual Quest for the Best competition - the focus still single-mindedly to raise the overall quality of the soon-to-be region’s wine.
In 2010, in the wake of the SA Terroir Top Wine Area success, an overall of 36 wines, three brandies and one grappa went through to the final tasting.
The best white wine was Bosman Family Vineyards’ 2009 Optenhorst Chenin Blanc, while the prize for the best red went to Bovlei Winery for its 2009 Vineyard Selected Shiraz.
The latter was also deemed the overall top wine.
This year the panel consists of Duimpie Bayly, Neil Pendock, Margaret Fry, Melanie van der Merwe and the leading man, Dave Hughes.
According to Schalk Burger, chairman of the Wellington Wine Route, Wellington has broken free of the stereotypes that have burdened the wines of the area.
It has all too easily been stigmatised as hot, without appreciating that Wellington is terroir specific and that there are existing cool pockets within the larger Wellington area.
Last year Fiona McDonald, who was one of the judges, also commented on the massive strides Wellington has made.
“I can recall visiting Wellington 15 or more years ago and there were only about five wineries. Nowadays you’re spoiled for choice with a host of new cellars having opened up.
“That’s an advantage that Wellington has over other areas: producers get the opportunity to learn from others’ mistakes and to start with a fresh palette. And there’s a definite appreciation for the quality of fruit coming out of Wellington. Everyone knows that the success of Boekenhoutskloof, for example, is because the Shiraz grapes came from Schalk Burger’s Wellington vineyards!”
