Sauvignon Blanc South Africa and FNB have announced the winners of the 2019 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition and no less than eight of the 10 winners are from the 2019 vintage. These exciting results from South Africa’s only competition dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc were announced at a gala dinner on Wednesday, 9 October at the FNB Portside building in Cape Town.

FNB Top10 2019 Sauvignon Blanc Awards 1
Front (L to R): Wimpie Borman (Groote Post), Rudger van Wyk (Stark-Condé), Anneri Duminy (Stark-Condé), Mari Branders (Diemersdal), Morgan Steyn (De Grendel), Julius Moleleki (De Grendel), R.J. Botha (Sauvignon Blanc SA Chairperson), Arno Cloete (FNB). Middle l to r: Magnus Kriel (Merwida), Juandré Bruwer (Diemersdal), Tim Whitfield (Tokara), Stuart Botha (Tokara), David Nieuwoudt (Cederberg). Back (L to R): Leon Dippenaar (Du Toitskloof), Shaun Thomson (Du Toitskloof), Tiaan Loubser (Du Toitskloof), Schalk van der Merwe (Merwida), Lukas Wentzel (Groote Post), Anthony Kock (Spier), Stephan Claassen (FNB), Geoff McIver (Lomond), David Mostert (Lomond), Werner du Toit (FNB), Jacques Erasmus (Spier).

This year’s Top 10 winners, in alphabetical order, are:

· Cederberg Ghost Corner Sauvignon Blanc 2019

· De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (Wooded)

· Diemersdal Winter Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2019

· Du Toitskloof Land’s End Sauvignon Blanc 2018 (Wooded)

· Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (Wooded)

· Lomond Sauvignon Blanc 2019

· Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2019

· Spier Ideology Sauvignon Blanc 2019

· Stark-Condé Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2018 (Wooded)

· Tokara Reserve Collection Elgin Sauvignon Blanc 2019 (Wooded).

The Top 10 was selected from a wide range of entries - a total of 107 producers entered 183 wines. The country’s diverse wine regions are all well represented, with five out of the six Western Cape regions each boasting at least one wine in the top 20. A total of 12 of the top 20 wines are from the 2019 vintage, which endorses the industry’s unanimity that this year is a brilliant year for Sauvignon Blanc.

“2019 will be remembered as a particularly successful year for Sauvignon Blanc and the Top 10 can rightly be proud of their achievement,” says RJ Botha, Sauvignon Blanc SA’s chairman. “The fact that more wines were entered this year - despite the drought that has plagued most wine producers - proves producers’ confidence in the competition and the excellence South African Sauvignon Blanc is capable of, and predicts a very positive future. Good Sauvignon Blanc does is not limited to geographical boundaries and reveals the wide style and flavour profiles that the variety can offer.”

Stephan Claassen, FNB’s provincial head of business banking in the Western Cape, congratulated the 2019 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 winners - who are constantly pushing boundaries to rise above the rest. “If South African Sauvignon Blanc wants to remain competitive on a global scale, it is imperative that we reward talented producers and create platforms where they can showcase their talents. Our local Sauvignon Blanc producers deliver quality wine and we at FNB are proud to be involved in this exciting part of our wine industry,” says Claassen.

This year’s panel of judges consisted of Dr. Winifred Bowman, Cape winemaster and panel convener; Charles Hopkins of De Grendel; Dr. Carien Coetzee of Basic Wine; Fiona McDonald, wine judge and author, and Wilhelm Pienaar of Hermanuspietersfontein. The panel also included aspiring judges Ben Snyman of Overhex Wines, Chandre Petersen of Flagstone Wine Cellar, Morgan Steyn of De Grendel and Rudger van Wyk of Starke-Condé Wines.

A technical seminar providing information on the Top 10 will be held in Franschhoek on Wednesday 20 November.

Wine lovers will be able to access the 2019 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 Collection via the Wine of the Month Club. For more information, email [email protected]

To become a member, or for more information, visit www.sauvignonblanc.com or call 021 975 4440. Join the online conversation about the # FNBTop10 #SauvignonBlancSA and tag Sauvignon Blanc SA on Twitter @SauvignonSA and on Facebook and Instagram as @sauvignonblancsa.

FNB Top10 2019