The Best Organic Wines in South Africa 2016

A scant two decades ago, anything tagged “organic” would have been somewhat out there on the hippy fringe. That’s no longer the case. Organic is mainstream, and nowhere is this more obvious than on retail shelves where sustainable production is now sought after, with consumers happy to pay a premium to be kinder to the environment.

The Green Wine Awards, now in their eighth year and Africa’s only wine competition recognizes and honours wine producers who continue to play an integral role in the provision of ecofriendly wines, which embody farming for the future practices. The awards also seek to celebrate wine producers who are passionate about conserving the land while making greener, finer wines and lowering their carbon footprint.

‘We are delighted to partner with our long standing partner; WWF SA who has been instrumental in the formulation of the Biodiversity & Wine initiative as well as Getaway Magazine to bring the Green Wine Awards. This is in keeping with our sustainability accolades and commitment to communities in which we operate. Through these awards, we are able to create a platform where wine producers are acknowledged for their overall contribution beyond the wine industry which include the agricultural and tourism sectors. Our involvement forms part of the Green Trust through the Nedbank Affinities, over the past two decades – through which the bank continues to make significant contributions to the preservation and protection of the environment, ‘ said Becky Penumlungu, Sponsorship Manager: Lifestyle Properties at Nedbank.

Over 120 wines were judged across two categories (Best wines made from Organically Grown Grapes and Best Wines from Integrated Production of Wine category), by the panel led by internationally renowned wine judge Fiona McDonald.

Judges in the Best Farming Practices category looked at not only what goes into the bottle, but considered the wellbeing of farm employees and surrounding communities and the wider impact of farming on the surrounding environments. The judging panel included Duimpie Bayly, honorary life president of the SA Society of Enology and Wine Viticulture, Daniël Scheitakat of the Integrated Production of Wine, and Anél Blignaut, an environmental consultant. The judges, along with members of the WWF and fellow producers voted on La Motte as the 2016 Best Farming Practice Overall Winner.

Fifteen top achievers were announced at this year’s awards function held on the 20th October in Cape Town (*see winners list below). Earthbound Cabernet Sauvignon Organic 2015 took top honours as the Best Wine Overall in the Organically Grown Grapes category while Paul Cluver Noble Late Harvest 2014 unanimously scooped the Best Integrated Production of Wine Overall.

The full results and a competition overview are available in South Africa’s Green Wine Guide 2016, bagged with the November issue of Getaway, which is on sale from 24 October. Results are also available at greenwineawards.com.

Wine enthusiasts will be able to sample the winning wines from the 2016 Nedbank Green Wine Awards in Cape Town and Johannesburg in November. More information on these tasting events can be found at greenwineawards.com/tasting-events.

INTEGRATED PRODUCTION OF WINE WINNERS 2016

Judges Overall Winner – Paul Cluver Noble Late Harvest 2014

Judges Best Red – Gabriëlskloof The Blend 2014

Judges Best White – Journey’s End Destination Chardonnay 2014

Bloggers Overall Winner  – Vondeling Babiana 2015

Best Value Winner – Jordan Chameleon Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay 2015

ORGANIC WINNERS 2016

Judges Overall Winner – Earthboard Cabernet Sauvignon Organic 2015

Judges Best Red Earthboard- Cabernet Sauvignon Organic 2015

Judges Best White –  Longridge Chardonnay 2015

Bloggers Overall Winner – Org De Rac Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013

Best Value Winner – Org De Rac cabernet Sauvignon 2015

BEST FARMING PRACTISE 2016

Leader in Energy conservation – Lourensford

Leader in Water conservation – Paul Cluver

Leader in Eco-tourism – Bartinney

Leader in Community development – La Motte

THE 2015 BEST FARMING PRACTICE AWARD

La Motte

Top image caption: (from left to right): Daneel Rossouw – Nedbank, Heinrich Kulsen – Earthbound (winner of Organically Grown Grapes Overall Winner 2016 and Organically Grown Grapes Best Red Wine 2016), Pietie le Roux – La Motte (winner of Best Farming Practices Overall Winner 2016 and Leader in Community Development 2016), Kathryn Frew – RamsayMedia, Andries Burger – Paul Cluver (winner of Best Integrated Production of Wine Overall Winner 2016)