Saronsberg wins big at Shiraz SA Challenge – 10 years on
SURE THERE ARE other delightful reds and whites in their range, but it’s Shiraz that they specialise in at Saronsberg. Surely the leading wine outfit in the district of Tulbagh, their Shiraz and Shiraz-based blend ‘Full Circle’ easily clear the bar for inclusion among their respective Top 10s in the South African Wine Classification – shoo-ins for the Top Wine SA Hall of Fame. Focusing on the Shiraz SA Challenge, having turned 10 years old in 2022, no other producer has been as successful over the past decade: five wins for Saronsberg Shiraz (2014, 15, 18, 19, 20), two wins for Saronsberg Provenance Shiraz (2012, 16), and four wins for Saronsberg Full Circle (2012, 15, 16, 18). Also in the reckoning: Cederberg Shiraz (2011, 13, 14, 15, 18, 20) and, another farm in the Cederberg mountains, Driehoek (2010, 12, 16, 17, 19, 20).
There were 189 entries in the 2022 Shiraz SA Challenge: 148 Shiraz, 34 Shiraz-led blends and seven Shiraz Rosés. The judges: panel chair Charles Hopkins (cellarmaster at De Grendel), Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl, Sommelier Higgo Jacobs, winemaker Riaan Möller (MAN Family Wines) and Frans Smit, MD of Spier Wine Farm. As the producer to perform best during the competition’s 10-year history, Saronsberg was the first winner of the Bernard Podlashuk Trophy, introduced by sponsor DGB in honour of the pioneer whose Bellingham Shiraz 1956 was the Cape’s first such single-varietal version on the market.
TOP 12 SHIRAZ
Bellingham Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah 2019
R310pb from Franschhoek Cellar
Bon Courage Inkará Shiraz 2020
R230pb ex-cellar, Robertson
Cederberg Shiraz 2020
R260pb ex-cellar, Cederberg
De Grendel Op die Berg Syrah 2020
R310pb ex-cellar, Panorama-Durbanville
Diemersdal Shiraz 2021
R110pb ex-cellar, Durbanville
Driehoek Shiraz 2020
R265pb approximate retail (Cederberg cellar)
Fuselage Sideslip 2021
R200pb ex-cellar, Wellington
Groot Phesantekraal Syrah 2021
R149pb ex-cellar, Durbanville
KWV Cathedral Cellar Shiraz 2019
R149pb ex-cellar, Paarl
Saronsberg Shiraz 2020
R290pb ex-cellar, Tulbagh
Stellenbosch Reserve Syrah 2020
R170pb from Guardian Peak cellar, Helderberg-Stellenbosch
Swartland Winery Bush Vine Syrah 2020
R130pb ex-cellar, Malmesbury
TOP 3 SHIRAZ BLENDS
Bellingham Bernard Series Maverick SMV 2019
R395pb from Franschhoek Cellar
Guardian Peak SMG 2020
R180pb ex-cellar, Helderberg-Stellenbosch
Lomond Belladonna SMV 2019
R185pb ex-cellar, Gansbaai-Cape Agulhas
TOP ROSÉ
Allée Bleue Shiraz Rosé 2022
R90pb ex-cellar, Franschhoek
