At last weeks annual Michelangelo International Wine Awards (MIWA) the Rietvallei Estate Red Muscadel showed its class once again. Two Muscadel’s were awarded at the luncheon: Gold Medal for the 1908 Rietvallei Estate Red Muscadel 2008 made from the oldest Red Muscadel vineyard in South Africa and also the centenary bottling. The wonderful surprise came when the Rietvallei Estate Red Muscadel 1980 was awarded a Gold Medal, but also the Golden Oldie Trophy!

According to Owner and previous Winemaker on the Estate, Johnny Burger, the 1908 vintage was the best he has ever made with possibly the 1985 very close to it. Those that are familiar with Rietvallei Muscadel will know that every vintage is a great one. This award just shows the ageing potential of an amazing wine that many people in the market have almost forgotten about.

If you can get your hands on some older Muscadel, grab it as quick as possible. It will be a great idea to keep a specific vintage for a couple of years and open on someone’s birthday or other special occasions. The wine just gets better and better the longer you keep it.

Although Muscadel is seen as a winter warmer Rietvallei has proven that you can enjoy it year round. Pouring it over crushed ice, chilling it in the fridge or even diluting it a bit with sparkling water are all wonderful ideas for summer. It is also a wonderful ingredient for Cocktails and you can definitely play around with some mixers. In fact, a bar in Houston, Texas, won a cocktail competition with what they
called a Muscito. They made a Mojito with the Red Muscadel instead of Rum.

Look out for this amazing wine and enjoy it the way you prefer!!