It is the 19th presentation of the SA Terroir Wine Awards this year and the judging is being done this week (03 July – 05 July) at the SA National Wine Show tasting venue in Paarl.
Five trophies are at stake, namely for overall Top Wine, Top Estate, Top Single-vineyard Wine, Top Producer and Top Ward. In addition, national winners of all the cultivars and styles entered for this year’s Terroir Awards will be named.
Only wines certified as single-vineyard wine, estate-produced wine and wine from a ward or district not divided into more than one ward, are judged.
The SA Terroir Wine Awards are presented in collaboration with the financial partners SA Litho and WinField United SA, while the OntbytSAKE programme on KykNET acts as a media partner.
As industry leaders with over 120 years’ expertise, SA Litho Label Printers seamlessly combines advanced technology with unparalleled knowledge to deliver top-tier packaging solutions.
“We are proud to be in partnership with the SA Terroir Wine Awards, where the outstanding quality and uniqueness of a wine area’s terroir are celebrated together with the winemaking process,” says Dawrian Salies, general manager of SA Litho Label Printers.
Glasses and wine ready for judging
WinField United SA provides innovative solutions and is involved with projects that help drive advancement and progress in agriculture. WinField United SA CEO Jan Vermaak says, “Our partnership with the SA Terroir competition is important for us to become involved with South Africa’s showcase wines, right from the vineyards to the end-product in the bottle.”
With regard to OntbytSAKE as partner, Louis Mclaren, owner and executive producer, says, ”At OntbytSAKE/kykNET, we take pride in offering national exposure to the outstanding winemakers and wine farms associated with the Terroir Wine Awards. As we strive for excellence in what we do, we also honour every business that does the same!'”
This growing and thriving competition, where wines deriving from grapes in specific wine terrains are judged – hence the term “terroir wine awards” – represents something special for the Cape winelands and for wine lovers with a passion for the country’s excellent and diverse terrains.
The SA Terroir competition originates from the highly acclaimed Wine of Origin system that was established 50 years ago. It was introduced on 1 September 1973 and has been amended several times since. It is considered worldwide as one of the very best systems to confirm the integrity of wine in the bottle and what appears on the label.
Judges: Brendan Butler, Janine van Zyl, Conrad Louw Chairman, Anton Swarts, Elunda Basson
The judging panel comprises Conrad Louw, Chairperson, regular lecturer at the Cape Wine Academy and judge at wine competitions and Cape Wine Master;; Elunda Basson, cellarmaster of Steenberg; Brendan Butler, winemaker and manager at Meinert Wines and Cape Wine Master, Anton Swarts, senior winemaker and wine purchasing manager at Spier and Cape Wine Master and Janine van Zyl, a qualified sommelier and who is at an advanced stage of completing the Cape Wine Master qualification.
The results and winners will be announced at a luncheon on 14 August at the Lanzerac Hotel and will be televised on OntbytSAKE on Saturday 31 August on channel 144.
