De Grendel Brings Home Three Big Wins in the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards

With the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards celebrating its 20th anniversary, it was a truly proud occasion for De Grendel to win three awards. De Grendel Shiraz 2015 won Platinum, De Grendel Op Die Berg Chardonnay 2015 won Gold, and De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2016 won Silver.

The De Grendel Shiraz 2015, which will be released in October 2016, was awarded Michelangelo Platinum.

De Grendel cellarmaster Charles Hopkins predicted the 2015 red wines would be particularly special, thanks to various factors, including challenging conditions such as the low rainfall.

“The clusters and berries were smaller, which is definitely a plus for red wine colour and quality,” he says. “Particularly dry and windy climactic conditions during flowering culminated in a 15% reduction in crop size throughout the Coastal Region. This reduction in cluster volume, coupled with cooler weather towards ripening, produced berries with a superior concentration of fruit flavours and increased colour intensity in the red varietals. Additionally, the smaller clusters facilitated a harvest that was earlier by up to 15 days. In conclusion, the vintage of 2015 has the potential to rival the finest vintages in recent years,” he continues.

“The team at De Grendel are particularly proud of the Gold awarded to De Grendel Op Die Berg Chardonnay 2015,” says Sir De Villiers Graaff. “This is a very competitive category.” The De Grendel Op Die Berg Chardonnay’s vineyards are situated on top of the Witzenberg Mountain in Ceres. Grapes are all hand-picked and brought to De Grendel in an immaculate condition due to the cool ripening temperatures resulting in a well-balanced, medium bodied Chardonnay.

The De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2016 also won a silver medal at the awards.

All wines are judged blind according to the international 100-point system and awarded Platinum, Grand’Or, Gold and Silver medals.