KWV’s Perold Tributum 2013 was announced as the winner of the Perold Absa Cape Blend Competition last night, adding to a string of local and international accolades the company has amassed over the past year.

The success of Perold Tributum 2013 follows victory by the 2010 and 2011 vintages in previous Cape Blend competitions, making KWV in Paarl the only producer to win more than once and in three consecutive years during the short history of this competition.

The most outstanding wines in this championship were announced this week by the Pinotage Association, the organisation tasked with the advancement and promotion of a red-blend wine of which Pinotage constitutes a significant component.

Through its repeat victory, the Perold Tributum has once again been recognised, by the Pinotage Association’s definition, as a Cape Blend wine with characteristics uniquely distinctive that it could have a meaningful impact on the international wine market to the benefit of South Africa.

Commenting on the latest achievement of the Perold Tributum 2013, KWV chief winemaker Johann Fourie says: “The result is a confirmation of the stylistic direction and strategy we’ve embarked on with our Pinotage wines.

“Blending a multi-varietal wine can be challenging as it requires time, patience and skill. As a result, blending is widely considered an art in itself. By perfecting this art the winemaker is able to create a wine that both rewards and reflects the effort that went into its production.”

In the making of the Perold Tributum 2013, the journey to blend the perfect Pinotage-based wine to meet all the criteria for greatness – a goal the winemaking team set itself and pursued – a collection of five varietals were used.

The result is a gentle wine with soft tannin structure and upfront, multi-layered fruit and spice aromas. Sweet fruit flavours meet juicy tannins with immense concentration, resulting in a seamless palate.

“Made in a classic style, the wine showcases the best of Pinotage’s vibrant fruit aromas together with its silky soft tannins that in dance with all the positives attributes, dimension and complexity that the other varietals add to blend,” says Fourie.

The Perold Tributum is named after Abraham Perold, the man credited with crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (Hermitage) to come up with Pinotage and it’s perhaps fitting that the KWV wine bearing his name and portrait on the bottle should also place among the top performers in a competition named in honour of the grape’s South African ‘founder’.

Professor Abraham Perold was KWV Chief Wine maker from 1928 until his death 13 years later. He is considered a pioneer of South African viticulture. Prof Perold dedicated his life and his genius as a master of wine to influence every aspect of wine production, setting a standard that continues to reverberate through KWV wines today.

“The success of our wines is mirrored by a continual stylistic evolution and the overall significance of terroir in our winemaking approach,” says Fourie. “We’ve sourced fruit throughout the Western Cape, focusing on those vineyards that produce outstanding quality and reflect regionality. The resulting wines show greater fruit purity, better structure, elegance and finesse.”

Was nie in die Top 20 Pinotage die jaar nie.The Perold Tributum 2013 is available at leading retailers nationwide.