The South African Wine Index (SAWi) acknowledged South African wine excellence at its recent event held at the luxurious Grootbos Private Nature Reserve near Gansbaai.
Guests, producers and wine makers were treated to a tasting of the winning wines before the presentation of the awards. The event was a showcase of South African ‘Grand Wines’ – highlighting the value of the SAWi principles and methodology.
Constantia Glen took top honors on the night, receiving the SAWi Trophy for Wine Producer of the Year while De Morgenzon received the 2014 SAWi Trophy for White Wine Producer of the Year. The Trophy for the 2014 SAWi Red Wine Producer of the Year went to Kanonkop Estate. The inaugural Trophy for Best South African Brandy Producer was awarded to KWV.
Chardonnay dominated, with 17 accolades, followed by Shiraz wines with 12, Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux Blends with 10 each, Pinotage 8, Pinot Noir 6 and Red Blends 5.
Hemel and Aarde Valley had 14 wine accolades, followed by Constantia with 10 and Tulbach with 7, whilst Elgin, Franshhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch Kloof, Blaauwklippen and Idas Valley had 5 each. Wines from Stellenbosch West, Blaauwklippen, Cederberg, Somerset West, Franshhoek and Durbanville made up the rest. Once again, outlying wine pockets like Cederberg, Tulbach, and even Barrydale featured prominently.
Since the start of the SAWi Ratings five years ago, only 32 wines out of a total of 914 which were rated have scored 95+ points, with repeated good performances by the majority of these wines. This year another 13 wines were added to this category.
Beyers Truter was honored as the SAWi Wine Legend of the Year and joined Hempies du Toit, Jan Boland Coetzee and Peter Finlayson on this honors roll. His contribution to the global profile of South African wines has made Beyers a true pioneer in the South Africa wine industry.