Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate has been awarded 4.5 stars for seven of its wines and a further 4 stars for seven others by Platter’s South Africa Wine Guide. The vineyard in the Walker Bay region, Hermanus, is owned by entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE, with cellar master Johann Fourie running the wine farm and viticulture operations. He says:
“For all our entries to receive 4 stars and higher is a great achievement given the relatively small size of our vineyard and that 100 per cent of our wine is produced from estate-grown fruit. The awards showcase our detailed approach to growing cultivars on specially selected locations in the vineyard that bring out the best of each varietal.
“Both our red and white wines performed equally well, debunking the belief that cool climate wine regions such as Walker Bar are only suited to Pinot Noir and white cultivars. Our recent Veritas Wine Awards are further proof; our Estate Malbec, which is on an award-winning streak this year, and our Estate Chardonnay picked up gold medals.
“It’s the second consecutive year for the Estate Chardonnay to be awarded gold at Veritas; both our loyal customers and the wine judges love Benguela Cove Chardonnay.”
Johann Fourie says the estate’s focus is to make site-specific wines from strictly estate-grown grapes, to capture Benguela Cove’s unique location on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean and produce the distinctive character of the wines.
Benguela Cove achieved 4.5 stars for Catalina Semillon 2018, Vinography Chardonnay 2018, Vinography Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Vinography Cabernet Franc 2018, Vinography Petit Verdot 2017, Vinography Pinot Noir 2019 and Estate Chardonnay 2019.
A further 4 stars were awarded for Joie de Vivre 2017, Estate Sauvignon Blanc 2019, Estate Pinot Noir 2019, Estate Malbec 2018, Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Estate Collage 2018 and Estate Syrah 2018.
Benguela Cove offers wine tastings on pontoon tours of the lagoon and safaris in the vineyard, which is set within the UNESCO-designated Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. Moody Lagoon restaurant offers a gourmet lunch experience and there are also charcuterie, cheese and chocolate wine pairings.
