No, it is not mathematics day at the Pinotage Club, 0 5* 4 2008 decodes to No 5 stars for 2008The 2008 Platter Guide 5 star winners have just been announced and it is disappointing to not to see any Pinotages listed. Although two top Pinotage wineries -- Kanonkop & Beyerskloof -- both achieve the coveted 5 stars, it is for Cabernet based wines. Especially galling in the case of Beyerskloof since the 5* winner is the only wine of their eight wines that doesn't contain Pinotage.
The winners are:
- Axe Hill Cape Vintage Port 2005
- Beyerskloof Field Blend 2003
- Boplaas Cape Tawny NV
- Boplaas Cape Vintage 2005
- Boplaas Vintage Reserve Port 2005
- Bouchard Finlayson Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2005
- Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh 2006
- Cape Point Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Limited Release 2006 (Woolworths)
- Cape Point Vineyards Semillon 2007
- De Krans Vintage Reserve 2005
- De Trafford Shiraz 2005
- Edgebaston-Finlayson Edgebaston GS Cabernet Sauvignon 2004
- Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2006
- Forrester Meinart FMC Chenin Blanc 2005
- Hartenburg "The Mackenzie" 2005
- JP Bredell Cape Vintage Reserve 2003
- Kanonkop Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2003
- Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2006
- Radford Dale Gravity 2005
- Sequillo Cellars White blend 2007
- Steenberg Vineyards Magna Carta 2007
- Vergelegen White 2006
A very good result for Boplas and Cape Point Vineyards each with three wines. I'll bet the Woolies shelves have already been emptied of that Sauvignon Blanc!
South African wine specialists CyberCellar have mixed packs of 2008 5* winners. CyberCellar now deliver SA wines in the UK and USA as well as South Africa. They say they can deliver almost anywhere on the planet!
Peter, do you think this might have been due to pressure to move away from Pinotage as regards the international marketing efforts or image of SA wines? As you know, there are some pretty tenacious voices out there that constantly speak against the grape.
ReplyDeleteWho knows? What is interesting is the poor showing of Shiraz which was supposed to be the red wine of SAs future. And the number of white wines.
ReplyDeleteAlso there are a large number of fortified wines -- SA Ports -- in that list.