Peter Falke Wines, the exclusive boutique winery nestled amongst the rolling hills of the Stellenbosch winelands, has walked away with top honours at the first PAR® Wine Award South Africa assessment conducted in Germany. Close to 90 wines were submitted for this inaugural round of annual assessment under the PAR® system, which featured the slogan: How does South Africa taste?

Just 4 of the wines entered achieved a ranking of 96 or above out of 100 during this blind tasting assessment, which the PAR® System qualifies as world-class wines. The Peter Falke Wines Signature Syrah 2012 received the highest score of 97/100. This 100% Syrah was produced from hand-harvested grapes and underwent natural fermentation in the cellar. After 40 days of skin contact, the wine was lightly pressed and matured for 18 months in 1st, 2nd and 3rd fill French oak barrels. The wine was then bottled in November 2013 and left to further mature.

“It’s terrific to receive acknowledgment for all of these wines, but particularly so the Signature Peter Falke Syrah, being part of our flagship range,” says Peter Falke winemaker, Werner Schrenk, of the award. “It really endorses the outstanding quality of our premium range.”

Only produced and released in exceptional vintages, the farm’s flagship Signature range is the finest reflection of Peter Falke’s unique terroir and winemaking elegance. Grapes are hand-selected and sorted during harvest, and fermentation occurs naturally. The range offers style and finesse, created for the connoisseur who appreciates fine wines with personality.

“The distinctiveness of South African wines lies in their stylistic diversity, which they owe to the particular climatic conditions in the wine regions,” says PAR® Head of Tasting, Martin Darting, of the results. Judges differentiated between origin and cultivation in their assessment of the wines entered. Top scorers included the Luddite Shiraz 2007 (96/100), the Simonsig Pinotage 2012 (96/100) and the My Wyn Shiraz 2008 (96/100). 19 other wines, with a rating between 90 and 95 points, also ranked among the international elite.

The Peter Falke Signature Syrah 2012 offers notes of pomegranate, refined red fruits and wafts of white pepper on the nose. The complex palate is full-bodied and lingers with irresistible spicy flavours – making it ideal with red meat dishes such as slow-cooked beef brisket, grilled rack of lamb, delicate Indian curries and mild Mexican stews.

Just 3,600 bottles were produced and the wine is due for release on 9 April 2014. It is predicted that the wine will be sold out before release, so advance reservation is essential. Please contact Lize-Marie Nieman on +27 (0) 21 881 3677 or [email protected] to place your order.

About PAR® Wine Award South Africa

The PAR® Wine Award South Africa was organised for the first time in 2014 by WINE System AG. Managing Director Gisela Wüstinger is pleased with the successful premiere. She indentifies the fact that smaller, lesser-known wine producers submitted their wines as an incentive to establish these awards as a regular institution in the market.

The export organization Wines of South Africa (WOSA) also welcomes the implementation of the PAR® Wine Award South Africa. As Petra Mayer, Director of South Africa Wine Information (Baden-Baden) says: “A wide product range of South Africa’s wines are now available in Germany. Qualitative guidance such as the PAR® award, which offers consumers safety in the purchase decision, is therefore all the more important.”