Some international wine trophies count more than others – UK
WITH MANY if not all wine competition organisers who honour overall champions at their shows, local and international, the choice has mostly to do with how many awards each producer wins, rather than which are the favourite wines. Yes, usually trophies count more than gold medals, golds count more than silvers, etc, but no, it’s not necessarily a case of the top-scoring wines holding sway. It’s difficult if not impossible to compare champions in different classes – Cabernet versus Chardonnay, say – and the announcement of the 2022 International Wine & Spirit Competition Producer Trophy winners showed once again that to win a top producer trophy doesn’t require coming top of the class in any product category en route to the overall title.
The biggest, most prestigious competitions for wines of every type made around the globe are all staged in the UK. Decanter Magazine refer to the top prizes at their ‘World Wine Awards’ (DWWA) as ‘Best in Show’. The International Wine Challenge (IWC) trophy laureates include winners according to a number of categories: International, National, Regional, Varietal as well as overall Champions… And at the International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) the organisers present trophies for wines and spirits, products and people, with the names of product trophy winners released in July, the producer trophy winners end-September.
When the IWSC product trophy winners were announced, they included Richard Kershaw of Elgin, Perdeberg and Vrede-en-Lust, both of Paarl, and Rijk’s of Tulbagh. When the show’s producer trophy winners were announced, it was fantastic news for Team South Africa: Kanonkop most successful of all the red wine entrants from around the world, Jordan (also of Stellenbosch) the most successful of the world’s white wine producers who’d entered the competition. Albeit that neither Kanonkop nor Jordan featured among the product trophy recipients this time round – Kanonkop earning gold with scores of 95 to 97 for their Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon entries, Jordan doing so with scores of 95 and 96 for their Cabernet and Chardonnay submissions – both producers have outstanding track records over the years.
PRODUCER TROPHY WINNERS: IWSC 2022
• Kanonkop Wine Estate, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch (Red)
• Jordan Wine Estate, Stellenbosch Kloof (White)
• Piper-Heidsieck, Riems-Champagne (Sparkling)
• Gonzáles Byass, Jerez de la Frontera-Andalusia (Sweet/Fortified)
SA PRODUCT TROPHY WINNERS: IWSC 2022
• Kershaw GPS Cape South Coast Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2020 – 97/100
• Perdeberg Vineyard Connection Grenache Blanc 2021 – 95/100
• Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage 2016 – 95/100
• Vrede en Lust Barrique Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2019 – 95/100
SA TROPHY WINNERS: DWWA 2022
• KWV Mentors Cabernet Franc 2019 – 97/100
• Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2021 – 97/100
SA TROPHY WINNERS: IWC 2022
• Bouchard Finlayson Tête de Cuvée Pinot Noir 2020 – 95/100
• Land’s End Cape Agulhas Sauvignon Blanc 2021 – 95/100
• Neil Ellis Whitehall Chardonnay 2020 – 96/100
To me, I see that they [Kanonkop] want to show that 2005 is ageing very well. South African wines can age very well, which few people are aware of. Kanonkop, as a brand, is the leading iconic product from South Africa.
Super South African wines. I just don’t understand why Kanonkop enters IWSC with the same wines year after year? Their Cabernet Sauvignon 2005, for the 4th year. In 2013 they won Gold, in 2017 Gold again, in 2021 they received Bronze for the same 2005 Cabernet Sauvignon and now they win gold again, this time 97 points… same wine. Why do they enter the same wine so many times if they have already received Gold for this wine in previous years? Anyway, great for them and South Africa.