TOUGH BREAK for Doolhof Wine Estate and cellarmaster Gielie Beukes! The Wellington producers were among the winners of the highest accolade presented at the 2022 Global Malbec Masters in the UK with their Bloedklip 2018, one of five South African wines to earn such a top award at the series of Global Wine Masters panel tastings* conducted in association with The Drinks Business publication during 2022 and 2021. However, come 2023 and the announcement of the Top 100 winemakers who’d won a Master award over the past two years, the laureates included (just) four in the Cape winelands:

• Bruce Jack of Napier for his Ghost in the Machine Shiraz 2019
• Dewaldt Heyns of Saronsberg in Tulbagh for the Shiraz-driven red blend Full Circle 2019
• Graham Weerts of Capensis in Stellenbosch for their 2018 Chardonnay
• Samuel Viljoen of Nederburg in Paarl for the Private Bin R163 Cabernet Sauvignon 2018

* Unique about the Global Wine Masters in the context of international wine competitions, is that the panel members are all Masters of Wine or Master Sommeliers.