Presenting The Abraham Perold Pinotage Trophy

The Pinotage Association’s Abraham Perold Trophy for Pinotage, was won by Spier Wines for Savanha Naledi 2009 Pinotage.

Andrew Milne, Chief Executive Officer of Spier was presented the Abraham Perold Trophy by Peter May, honorary Member of the Pinotage Association, in the presence of HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg, the IWSC President pictured left at the IWSC awards ceremony in London’s 600 year old Guildhall on Wednesday 16 November 2011.

The International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) was founded in 1969 and is a premier competition of its kind. Its aim is to promote the quality and excellence of the world's best wines, spirits and liqueurs. This is achieved through a rigorous two stage judging process of professional blind tasting and detailed chemical and microbiological analysis.



The IWSC Judges said of Savanha Naledi 2009 Pinotage:

Opaque with bright purple rim. Highly perfumed nose with dark cherry, some truffle and lots of spice. Big, well rounded in the mouth with loads of body and fully packed with ripe fruit where as well as what the nose had plum and strawberry join the complexity. Supple tannins. Creamy flow and long, fruit filled finish.

Naledi, which is pronounced Nah-leh-di, is the Sotho word for ‘star’. The wine was made by Frans Smit.

The Pinotage Association’s Trophy is named on honour of Abraham Perold, South Africa’s first Professor of Viticulture & Oenology, who bred the Pinotage grape variety in 1925. The Pinotage Association exists to promote and maintain South Africa’s leading role in the production of quality Pinotage wines.






Gold winning South African wines on the tasting table in the Guildhall crypt


See also http://www.pinotage.org/2011/11/spier-wins-abraham-perold-trophy-for.html and http://www.pinotage.org/2011/11/spier-is-iwsc-producer-of-year.html


(photographs courtesy of IWSC. See photo's of the awards ceremony at http://www.iwsc.net/mediagallery/images/8?pg=1 )

Spier is IWSC Producer of the Year

Spier won the South African Producer of the Year Trophy it was announced on Wednesday evening 16 November
Andrew Milne, Chief Executive Officer of Spier received the Dave Hughes South African Producer of the Year Trophy from Dave Hughes in the presence of HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg in front of 500 members of the international wine and spirits industry at the IWSC awards ceremony in London’s Guildhall.

Pictured left to right: HRH Prince Robert of Luxembourg, Dave Hughes, Andrew Milne.

Spier was picked from a shortlist comprising Kaapzicht Estate, Kanonkop Estate, Fleur du Cap, KWV and Nederburg.

Pinotage Association Saves Trophy

The International Wine & Spirit Competition’s Trophy for Pinotage has been saved by the swift intervention of the Pinotage Association when KWV withdrew their 13 years sponsorship at short notice.

The Pinotage Association, with the backing of their sponsors ABSA, immediately stepped in to ensure that Pinotage continues as a Trophy category.

The Trophy has been renamed the Abraham Perold Trophy for Best Pinotage to give recognition to the father of Pinotage, Abraham Perold. KWV, who hold the rights to the Abraham Perold brand name, graciously consented to the re-naming of the Trophy. “We believe that this will enable a more collective drive in honouring the legacy of both Pinotage and Perold internationally”, said KWV CEO, Thys Loubser.

The IWSC is one of the world’s biggest and most authoritative wine competitions and South Africa’s own grape variety, Pinotage, was introduced as a category in this competition in 1995.

Frances Horder, IWSC Competition Director, said “with the sponsorship of this trophy now coming from South Africa’s Pinotage Association and their sponsor, Absa, it will for many years be an established and prestigious part of the Wine and Spirit Competition.”

This year the 2009 Abraham Perold Trophy was awarded to Rijk’s Private Cellar for their Pinotage Reserve 2006.


Photograph shows Dave Hughes, South African’s international wine expert and honorary member of the Pinotage Association (left) holding the new Trophy with Sir Ian Good, 2009 President of the IWSC. Photo courtesy of the Pinotage Association

What's in The World's Best Red Blend?

Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2001, which contains 40% Pinotage, is the worlds best red blend. It won the international Trophy for the Best Red Blend in the 2004 International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC) competion, announced in London in July. IWSC boasts the most highly qualified group of international judges of any wine and spirit competition in the world.

“We make sure that our 40 Masters of Wine and our prominent trade judges from all over the world are balanced by knowledgeable consumer judges," said David Wrigley, Master of Wine and Chairman of the Technical and Judging Committee." All judges, including the Masters of Wine, must go through an induction process and a trail judging day before they are allowed to officially judge on a panel”.

Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2001 is a Cape Blend containing 40% Pinotage, 50% Cabernet Sauvignon and 10% Merlot.

Danie Steytler, owner and winemaker of Kaapzicht Estate said “Most winemakers and marketers agree that a so-called Cape Blend should contain at least 30% Pinotage, but I wanted to make our homegrown red wine grape variety even more prominent, therefore the 40% Pinotage. South Africa must have its own unique red blend rather than always imitate other countries. This award is a blessing from God and one will always be grateful.”

"My viewpoint is that if you want to make a top blend you must select the very best wines. The blend is as good as the building blocks you use. One thing is for sure, South Africa’s homegrown Pinotage is an excellent variety to use in top quality red blends. This highest international award at one of the world’s most prominent wine competitions confirms it,” says Danie. The specific Pinotage vineyard which was the source for these award winning wines, was planted by Danie’s father, George Steytler, in 1970. It is a bush vine cultivated in Clovelly soil on the northeasterly slopes of the Bottelary Hills.

“In the cellar the wine was pumped over the skins softly but continuously for many hours and many days to obtain maximum colour and flavour extract. After three years it is now showing its full potential - wines made in this way need time in the bottle. It will probably reach its peak in 2007,” says Danie.

According to the judges, the Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2001 is an excellent example of the blender's art. "A complex elegant refined wine with lovely backbone and structure. The blending skills extend to the fine use of oak. Rich fruit is beautifully balanced throughout". The same wine also received a double gold medal at the 2003 Michelangelo International Wine Awards.

AND THE BEST PINOTAGE IS

Kaapzicht also won international trophy for the Best Pinotage at the 2004 IWSC with its Kaapzicht Steytler Pinotage 2001.

The Steytler family has been cultivating vineyards and making wine on Kaapzicht since 1946, and these two international awards and history being made with the Vision 2001, came at a very appropriate time. Kaapzicht this year is celebrating their 20th anniversary since the very first wines were bottled on the estate under the Kaapzicht label in 1984. Up until then all the wines were sold in bulk to the wholesale wine producers.

The specific Pinotage vineyard which was the source for this and the winning Vision blend, was planted by Danie’s father, George Steytler, in 1970. It is planted to bush vines cultivated in Clovelly soil on the northeasterly slopes of the Bottelary Hills.


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