Three of Robertson Wine Valley producers had double the fun at this year’s Rosé Rocks competition, each scooping Double Golds for their respective entries.
By Alet du Toit
This annual and highly anticipated competition has become an icon in the South African wine industry and is South Africa’s first dedicated rosé wine competition, seeking to recognise and reward excellence in rosé winemaking and to promote the SA Rosé category. This year the judging panel was chaired by wine expert and industry legend, Allan Mullins. Mullins was joined by a team of five other highly esteemed judges: Tinashe Nyamudoka – head Sommelier and beverage manager at The Test Kitchen, Marthelize Tredoux – seasoned writer on winemag.co.za, Malu Lambert – an established freelance food and wine journalist, Tatiana Marcetteau – a highly respected Wine Sommelier and Shanté Hutton, former editor of Wine.co.za who left recently to focus on wine writing and judging.
GRAHAM BECK, obtained a Double Gold medal in the MCC category for their Brut Rosé 2012. This bubbly, with it’s beautiful salmon pink hue, is exquisite on the palate and comprises of a delicious medley of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Pinot Noir brings a subtle spiciness to this bubbly while the Chardonnay component offers a creamy complexity. Flavour notes include ripe blueberries, raspberry fruit and honeysuckle.
LORD’S WINES also wowed judges with their Brut Rosé NV, obtaining a Double Gold medal in the MCC category. This Brut Rosé was meticulously produced from Pinot Noir grapes and shows off with an elegant pink hue, fresh strawberry aroma and notes of dark berries on the palate. “Every year we strive to make our MCC better than the previous year, because the other cellars make the competition quite tough. It feels great to have achieved this status for our MCC Brut Rosé for 3 Years in a row,” shared Jacie Oosthuizen, owner and winemaker at Lord’s Winery.
QUANDO VINEYARDS & WINERY obtained a double gold in the Still Wines category for their Quando Mourvèdre 2017. Only the free run juice was used to create this excellent wine which is pale rose-petal pink in appearance. Bold notes of red berries, rhubarb and cassis can be picked up as you take your initial sip, followed by a juicy fruitiness on the palate and velvety aftertaste.
Quando owner and winemaker, Fanus Bruwer, had the following to share about this new and exciting addition to the Quando range: “Mourvèdre grapes are of the most flavorful wine grapes to eat and we thought it would make a great Rosé if we could capture those berry flavors in the wine. All the great Rosé’s from Southern France and Spain are made from Mourvèdre and suppose they cannot be wrong! The Quando 2017 Mourvèdre is a wine that I make for myself to drink because I love a good Rosé in spring and summer.”
Be sure to get your hands on a bottle or two of these award-winning Rosé wines from the Robertson Wine Valley. All three of these premium Rosés pairs excellently with light salads, goat’s cheese, pasta, and seafood such as lightly cooked shell fish – an excellent accompaniment to a Spring lunch or dinner.
