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One can’t help to feel slightly intimidated by the enormity of the global wine offering when walking through hall after hall of wine at the annual Prowein show in Düsseldorf. Still, measured by the activity on the South African stand, there seems to be a lot of interest in our wines. And I can’t say I am surprised. I think South Africa is the most exciting wine country at the moment. Yes, it is quite a claim, but I’ll explain my thinking.

I have tasted the complexity of E.Guigal, the brilliance of Sancerre, the charm of Provence – to name but a few of the wonderful wines available to sample at the three-day long event. 

Diemersdal Estate from Durbanville has received the first international accolade for its revolutionary Winter Ferment Sauvignon Blanc, winning a Gold medal at the Concours Mondial du Sauvignon held this year in Udine in Italy‘s Friuli region. Diemersdal Winter Ferment 2018, the farm’s second vintage of this specific wine style, was one of six South African wines to win Gold at this year’s competition, which drew 1 010 entries from 36 countries.

Diemersdal Winter Ferment is made using an innovative wine-making process where the Sauvignon Blanc juice is frozen during the harvest in February and then thawed five months later, after which it is fermented to produce a wine with exceptional tropical flavours.

For wine aficionados who prefer a lighter, more accessible red wine, look no further than the Terra del Capo Sangiovese 2016 from Anthonij Rupert Wyne. This lighter red wine is perfect for all year enjoyment.

The Terra del Capo wines, an Italian-inspired range, was originally developed by the late Anthonij Rupert who not only believed that South African soils were well-suited to growing Italian grape varietals, but also had a love for Italy and the natural synergy between good food and wine, as it is also a characteristic so synonymous with the South-African way of life where food and wine are an integral part of our way of celebrating.

Pioneering wine estate Diemersdal has contracted Dr Carien Coetzee, an experienced wine researcher and scientist, to assist this Durbanville winery in improving its technical and scientific capabilities aimed at continuing to produce cutting-edge wines, with the focus on its world-renowned range of Sauvignon Blancs.

Dr Coetzee recently formed her own private consultancy Basic Wine offering various specialist technical, research and scientific services to the wine industry.

De Wetshof’s Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2018 has been adjudged one of the top 15 wines in this year’s Chardonnay du Monde, the world’s leading competition for wines made from the noble white grape of Burgundy.

Some 696 wines from 36 countries were judged by a panel of international experts at Château des Ravatys, the wine estate of the Pasteur Institute at Saint Lager in the Burgundy wine region of France, with only 54 Gold medals awarded. De Wetshof’s Bon Vallon 2018, an unwooded wine, is one of only two South Africa wines to make the list of Top 15

Brand owners often see strong brands in their category as the unobtainable goal and unbeatable competition, but the small brand can not only learn from strong brands, strong brands can also provide a very good slipstream.

The strong brand is very important to its industry. Having a category leader that invests in research, product development and marketing, actually gives an unfair advantage to those who can learn from it – and that without paying the tuition.

Ken Forrester invites friends of wine to their 25-Year Celebratory Tasting Series, a calendar of four themed wine tastings, hosted by Ken himself at their old barrel cellar / tasting lounge in Stellenbosch.

The 25-Year Celebratory Tasting Series will feature rare wines from both Ken Forrester Wines’ captivating range, and from Ken’s personal private cellar. Four themed tastings, inspired by his journey, will provide an opportunity to taste a range of wines from the past two decades.

Simonsig Wine Estate, in the Stellenbosch Wine Appellation, has been producing Cabernet Sauvignon since 1976. The measure for the future of this noble variety was its taking of the General Smuts Trophy at the National Wine Show as the Champion Wine of the Year. The vineyards have of course been replanted with owner and viticulturist Francois Malan finding more suitable soils and improved clones. 

In the most recent Mundus Vini Spring Tasting, De Grendel’s signature red wine, Rubaiyat, scooped yet another prestigious gold medal to add to its long list of accolades. The award-winning 2015 vintage already bagged one platinum, 3 golds, 1 double gold as well as the Trophy for the South African Wine of the Year from China Wine & Spirits Awards.