THERE IS MORE wine consumed in the USA than in any other country on the planet, yet there are few international wine competitions of much significance in the States, with most reviews by individual critics rather than by panels of judges, labels out of sight. Among the exceptions are the TEXSOM International Wine Awards in Dallas, Texas, where the 2020 edition attracted 2875 entries from 25 countries that were assessed by qualified, experienced tasters including 19 Master Sommeliers, 16 Masters of Wine and other experts in the field. The wines ranged in price from under US$3 to over US$700 (R45 to R11 000 a bottle), vintages ranged from current-releases back to 1996, and by the end of the show 52 beauties were selected by the judges for the top accolade.

Of the South African entries, seven earned bronze medals, 18 silver, three gold and four won platinum, of which two were included among the 52 Judges’ Selections from around the world. Twelve months earlier the SA standouts were the 2017 Golden Slopes Chenin Blanc from the Swartland’s AA Badenhorst and the 2016 Botmaskop red blend from Delaire Graff in Stellenbosch. This time round the honours went to the 2017 Pinotage from Kanonkop, Stellenbosch, and a 2018 Swartland Chenin made primarily for export, Terre Brûlée Le Blanc!

French for ‘burned earth’, Terre Brûlée is a project of Vincent Carême, based in the Vouvray area of the Loire Valley. Married to a South African who comes from the Cape winelands, Carême rents cellar space and entrusts his sales in America to Somerset West exporter Cape Classics, who also excelled in the competition with one of their own wines that placed among the gold medallists.

See below for the most successful SA wines at TEXSOM 2020. For more information about the competition and the full results, click here.

JUDGES’ SELECTIONS

Kanonkop Pinotage 2017
R430pb from Simonsberg-Stellenbosch Cellar
Terre Brûlée Le Blanc 2018 (Chenin)
Export Wine, Swartland Producer

OTHER PLATINUM MEDALLISTS

Delaire Graff Botmaskop 2017 (Red Blend)
R315pb from Helshoogte Cellar, Stellenbosch
Stellekaya Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Stellenbosch Producer

GOLD MEDAL WINNERS

Beaumont Chenin Blanc 2019
R115pb from Bot River Cellar
Beaumont Pinotage 2016
R180pb from Bot River Cellar
Braai Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 (Cape Classics)
Export Wine, Somerset West Producer