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05 June 2007

Hartenberg win Best Pinotage Trophy

In Cape Town yesterday, Hartenberg 2004 was awarded the best Pinotage Trophy at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2007. The competition, sponsored by the Old Mutual finance company, is a national competition that seeks to identify the top wines in South Africa.

The same wine also won the Old Mutual Trophy for Discovery of the Show (Best Value).

Other winning Pinotages were:

Silver Medal
  • Hidden Valley 2004
  • Diemersfontein Carpe Diem 2005

Bronze Medal

  • Lindhorst 2005
  • Laibach 2005
  • Longridge 2004
  • Perdeberg 2006
  • PK Morkel 2004
  • Meerendal 1995 – Museum Class



Judge Neil Beckett (editor of the World of Fine Wine and member of the Grand Jury European) said of the Pinotage entries “ An interesting class, we had a higher proportion of faults - brettanomyces (brett) or reduction or VA. On the other hand, there were a great number of wines, especially those on the Pinot side of the parentage, where real elegance and finesse is more evident.”

Fellow judge Cathy van Zyl MW said “A fair number of faults but also a fair number of decent, smart wines. We didn't see much evidence of the tutti frutti style and not too much of a strongly acetone style.”

So that’s another wine to add to the list that I have yet to encounter. I did taste their 2003 at the winery earlier this year and enjoyed it (medium bodied, sweet rush of fruits of the forest flavours), but I must admit that Hartenberg has been below my Pinotage radar.

Winemaker Jaco van der Merwe told me that Hartenberg had planted Pinotage quite recently and that 2001 was their first vintage.

Well done Hartenberg!

For all results see www.winemag.co.za/content/online/trophywineshow/2007/review.asp

It is interesting to note that of the 50 entries in thePinotage category, 18% won an award while the Shiraz category had 151 entries but only gained 11.26% awards

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