Paul Clüver Family Wines in Elgin underscored its consistency as an award-winning wine producer in this year’s National Wine Challenge (NWC) by being announced joint-winner of this competition’s Vineyard Consistency Award for the most Top 100 places in the 13 year-history of the South African wine show.
The pioneering Elgin winery this year put-in another extraordinary showing in the NWC/Top 100 competition by winning two Grand Cru accolades for Best Wines in Class for the legendary Paul Clüver Seven Flags Pinot Noir 2018 and the Seven Flags Chardonnay 2021.
Among the Top 100 and Double Platinum Awards, Paul Clüver received this accolade for its Seven Flags Pinot Noir 2018 and Seven Flags Chardonnay 2021, as well as for the Paul Clüver Estate Chardonnay 2020 and the farm’s Noble Late Harvest 2021. In the same competition, Paul Clüver took four Gold Medals, each for Estate Pinot Noir 2021, Village Pinot Noir 2022, Village Chardonnay 2022 and Sauvignon Blanc 2022.
Paul Clüver Jnr, managing director of Paul Clüver Family Wines, says that when it comes to wine competitions the importance thereof lies in whether an entrant is able to show consistency in performance. “Therefore, the awarding of the NWC/Top 100 Vineyard Consistency Award is both important and rewarding in that it emphasises Paul Clüver Family Wines ability to produce wines of consistency at the highest level of judging,” he says.
“Wine competitions like these are not entered merely for attempting to achieve accolades, although these are obviously welcome. Entering competitions allows one to have your wines judged alongside those of your peers so as to measure your quality from year-to-year, as well as to ascertain your ability to consistently provide award-winning wines.
“To have achieved this consistency through 13 years of participating in the NWC/Top 100 Competition offers a clear guide-line of where we are as a producer and that Paul Clüver Family Wines is succeeding in its goal of providing exceptional wines – especially Pinot Noir and Chardonnay – from the Elgin terroir which we pioneered.”
Andries Burger, cellarmaster at Paul Clüver Family Wines, says the NWC/Top 100 accolades for the farm’s Pinot Noir and Chardonnay is especially gratifying. “South Africa is currently making world-class Chardonnay, and to receive these accolades in such a competitive category of brilliant wines is an indication of Paul Clüver’s ability to capture the soil, aspect and climate of our Elgin farm in expressive wines that bear hallmarks of quality discernible by this competition’s esteemed judges,” says Burger.
“Paul Clüver Family Wines is also a fervent champion of South African Pinot Noir, deeming this beguiling variety capable of capturing the imagination of the international wine world and elevating the image of the local industry,” he says. “To be seen as a consistent producer of leading Cape Pinot Noir is a true honour as Paul Clüver’s commitment to excellence in this variety is non-negotiable.”