The Veritas tastings, originally launched to great acclaim in London in 2019 as a ground-breaking wine country initiative, were briefly interrupted by Covid and are aimed at highlighting the international standard of these winners, as well as a selection of Double Gold brandies.

This showpiece tasting will be hosted by BBC TV personality Joe Wadsack, the senior international judge at Veritas. It will be held at the iconic White Horse Pub in Parsons Green, Fulham, London. Wadsack will be joined by Johann Fourie, cellarmaster at Benguela Cove Estate and Lionel Dickens, Managing Director of Porex.

Prominent wine writers, wine judges, members of the trade and other dignitaries will attend the tasting that takes place during the day. Wadsack currently co-hosts the British TV series BBC Food & Drink and is the wine expert on This Morning on ITV1 with two other wine enthusiasts. Renowned for his brilliant palate, Joe studied wine in Bordeaux before working as a buyer at Waitrose. He is now a consultant and public speaker and regularly judges at wine competitions around the globe, including in South Africa, the UK, Australia, and Chile.

Joe is delighted to host this tasting again since its inception and says, “London is a city known around the world for its large impartial wine competitions, whose results resonate globally. The Veritas show tasting in London is our opportunity to show the forefront of the wine world not only the incredibly high standard that the wines of South Africa can achieve, but that these Awards’ judging is on a par with the expertise and rigour of the world’s leading wine competitions.”

The London tasting takes place thanks to a partnership between Veritas and Porex SA. Says MD Lionel Dickens,” As Porex SA, we sponsor the pinnacle Vertex Award in order to support the promotion of our top-end wines in the international market. At the same time, we bring the best possible equipment to South Africa to assist our clients in producing the best wine to compete on the international markets.”

Veritas has earned the status as South Africa’s most authoritative competition for market-ready wines and brandies, while being the oldest and most prominent contest of its kind in this country, dating back to 1991. “By presenting this tasting in the UK, the Veritas Award winners are taken to the next level of excellence, building the image of South Africa’s quality wines overseas,” says chairperson Christo Pienaar.