Diemersdal Estate Flies Flag for South African Cabernet Sauvignon at IWC

Diemersdal Estate in Durbanville won one of only 15 Gold medals presented to South African producers at this year’s International Wine Challenge (IWC). The Gold went to Diemersdal’s flagship red wine, the MM Louw Cabernet Sauvignon 2015 – one of only two South African Cabernet Sauvignons to achieve Gold at this year’s IWC.

IWC is accepted as the world’s finest and most meticulously judged wine competition which assesses every wine blind and judges each for its faithfulness to style, region and vintage. The Diemersdal MM Louw scored 95pts from the judges.

According to Thys Louw, sixth generation cellar master and proprietor of Diemersdal Estate, this achievement at IWC underscores the Diemersdal region’s legacy of excellence in red wine making.

“Durbanville has over the past 15 years built-up a formidable reputation for our white wines – especially Sauvignon Blanc,” says Louw, who is also known as one of South Africa’s leading Sauvignon Blanc wine makers. “But history will always have the final say when it comes to showing what you can do, and with Durbanville’s illustrious past wherein some of the country’s greatest reds were made, the climate and the soils of this region are always going to appeal to wine makers who seek greatness from red wines.”

Cellar master Thys Louw

To illustrate this, Louw states that South Africa’s most famous wine, GS Cabernet Sauvignon 1966 was made from grapes grown in a Durbanville vineyard.

The 2015 vintage was, says Louw, a fantastic one for red wines. The grapes for the MM Louw Cabernet Sauvignon originate from dryland vines and after harvest were fermented in open wooden containers, the cap being punched down every four hours.

“The success of our red wines, I believe, lies in dryland vineyards and manual punch-downs in open-fermenters,” says Louw. “But it must also be said that the quality of the 2015 fruit was incredible due to a temperate growing season and perfect ripening conditions. From the moment the fruit started fermenting, I told my team we were onto something big. Everyone was tremendously pleased at how this wine turned out, and the IWC Gold is a cherry on top.

“It is very rewarding to see the MM Louw Cabernet Sauvignon as one of only two South African Cabernets to wine Gold. This is arguably the country’s strongest international red wine category, with the standard of South African Cabernet Sauvignon having never being higher than now. To excel among my peers who are producing such excellence wines is a true honour.”