Three signature De Grendel wines have been awarded a MUNDUS VINI medal at the Spring Tasting of the Grand International Wine Award, held at the end of February. They are De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2016 (Gold), De Grendel Shiraz 2015 (Gold) and De Grendel Merlot 2015 (Silver).

Nearly 200 international wine experts judged almost 6,200 wines from more than 150 wine growing regions to select the winners. MUNDUS VINI is regarded as one of the leading competitions for sparkling, still and liqueur wines.

Says De Grendel cellarmaster Charles Hopkins of the De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2016 award: “This is amazing news for a wine that’s made by a team effort – from vineyard managers, to me as the winemaker. It’s not been an easy 2016 vintage because of the challenging growing conditions which makes it even more special.”

The other Gold winner, De Grendel Shiraz 2015, has already won three local competitions in 2016 and did extremely well in some ratings on the local market. “For this wine to win a Gold award at Mundus Vini just gives the nod that this really is an exceptional wine,” says Hopkins.

Regarding the Silver award for the De Grendel Merlot 2015, Hopkins says: “A lot of credit must go to our viticulture team for the very fine meticulous adjustments they made, such as leaf plugging, to ensure the ripe and sweet Merlot that’s been recognised by this competition.