Tulbagh limits Stellenbosch dominance – 2018 IWSC trophy update
SEEING IS BELIEVING! Wine lovers might have wondered why, when announcing most of their 2018 results as regards South African entries in September, for some reason the organisers of the International Wine & Spirit Competition in London chose to include Warwick among the few South African wineries singled out for special mention, i.e. even though this Stellenbosch estate wasn’t among the top achievers this year. Curiously, at the outset the IWSC opted to congratulate two of the trophy winners, Spier and Beyerskloof, delaying the announcement of other top laureates until the awards banquet in November, one assumed. However, curiouser and curiouser, just a day into October the competition’s spokespeople applauded some more champions in advance of their big bash. Talk about spinning things out!
Here then is an update as regards the 2018 IWSC trophies for Best Chardonnay, Best Blended Red Wine, Best Merlot, Best Sauvignon Blanc, Best Bottle-Fermented Sparkling Wine and Best Organic Wine, i.e. together with the winners of the trophies for Best Pinotage and Best Chenin Blanc as reported earlier – all Stellenbosch cellars, except for Waverley Hills outside Tulbagh, with Beyerskloof and Spier doubling their winnings:
SA TROPHY WINNERS AT IWSC 2018
Bartinney Hourglass Chardonnay 2017
R620 pb at the cellar door in Banghoek, Stellenbosch
Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2014
R750 pb at the cellar door, Stellenbosch
Beyerskloof Faith 2014 (Cape Blend)
R675 pb at the cellar door, Stellenbosch
Oldenburg Merlot 2015
R165 pb at the cellar door in Banghoek, Stellenbosch
Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2016
R198 pb at the cellar door, Stellenbosch
Spier 21 Gables Sauvignon Blanc 2017
R175 pb at the cellar door, Stellenbosch
Villiera Monro Brut 2012 (Cap Classique)
R220 pb at the cellar door in Koelenhof, Stellenbosch
Waverley Hills Organic Shiraz Mourvédre Viognier 2013
R130 pb at the cellar door outside Tulbagh
• For the judges’ tasting notes on most of these wines, click here, and for their notes regarding the Chenin Blanc and Pinotage trophy winners, click here.
