Category Archives: 2012 IWSC
VIVA Van Ryn’s VIVA!
Van Ryn’s has managed to top its already impressive prize-winning record to earn two major international trophies for the same brandy in a single year. Van Ryn’s 12 Year Old potstill in the prestigious Van Ryn’s Collection Reserve range was announced as the winner of the International Spirits Challenge (ISC) Best Brandy trophy at a gala dinner in London’s Grosvenor Square in November. A few weeks earlier, the same brandy was judged Worldwide Best Brandy at the International Wine & Spirit Competition, also in London.
This is the first time the same brandy in the Van Ryn’s range has performed the double feat, although it is not the first time that Van Ryn’s as a range has been accorded the double honours in a single year.
This year marks the fifth IWSC top title for the Van Ryn’s Distillery, and its fourth from the ISC.
Maija Hansen, global spokesperson for the brand said: “Van Ryn’s hallmark style of beautifully balanced, fruity and soft-textured opulence has become the gold standard for brandy excellence and is acknowledged by industry leaders from across the world as the benchmark for quality aged brandies outside the AOC regions of France.”
The brandy, along with its luxury siblings in the Van Ryn’s Collection Reserve range, is available for tasting at the Van Ryn’s Distillery, close to Stellenbosch. It is also stocked by select retailers and style bars nationwide.
Nederburg Is IWSC’S SA Wine Producer Of The Year
Nederburg has been announced as the 2012 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) SA Wine Producer of the Year.
The title follows Nederburg’s trophy for best Sauvignon blanc of the show won by the 2010 Private Bin D234 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine, as best in its class, also won a gold outstanding medal, the equivalent of a double gold.
Other 2012 IWSC gold outstanding Nederburg wines were the 2008 Eminence, the 2007 Eminence and the 2009 Edelkeur.
Nederburg was also recently also one of the top achievers at this year’s SA National Wine Show. In addition, cellar master, Razvan Macici, won the 2012 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year title earlier this month.
Macici said the news was a spectacular way to round off 2012. “It has been a full and exciting year and we are thrilled that so many of our wines have been acknowledged across the range.”
Nederburg’s 2012 IWSC golds were for the 2011 Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest, a wine that is following in the footsteps of the highly celebrated 2010 vintage, as well as for the 2010, 2008 and 2007 vintages of Edelkeur.
There were seven IWSC silver outstanding medals awarded to wines across the spectrum of Nederburg’s multi-tiered range as well as 13 silvers. The silver outstanding medals went to two Private Bin wines, the 2011 Manor House Sauvignon Blanc, the 2010 Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest, the 2009 Two Centuries Sauvignon Blanc, the 2010 Ingenuity White (a Platter’s South African Wine Guide five-star wine), as well as the 2011 The Manor Sauvignon Blanc.
Amarula: The Produce Of An African Original Harvest
At the height of the African summer, parts of sub-Saharan Africa, like Phalaborwa in Limpopo, are filled with the exotic and very alluring fragrance of ripening marula fruits, golden yellow and sweet with a juicy tang and a hint of nuttiness.
The succulent fruit is a critical ingredient in Amarula and gives it its unique taste. When ripened by the sun, it becomes plump with flavour and falls to the ground, gathered by local rural communities and taken to a series of collection points in and around Phalaborwa and delivered to Amarula’s production centre in the area.
Harvesters are paid for every kilogram they deliver to make Amarula, and the proceeds of their picking have become a valued source of income for their families. Harvesting of the fruit takes place from January to March every year. It is only the female trees that bear the delicious yellow-skinned fruits, yielding anything from 500 kilograms to 2 tons of fruit each. That’s enough not only to feed the elephants but also to make Amarula.
Ladies collecting Marulas
After individually checking each fruit for ripeness and superior overall quality, the marulas are crushed with their skins. The fruit pulp is cooled and maintained at a low temperature before undergoing a double distillation process. It is then aged in wood for two years. The final blend is completed with fresh dairy cream.
Visitors to the Amarula Lapa nearby can experience the deliciously creamy and luxurious taste of Amarula and learn more about how it’s made. They can also discover the importance of marula trees to the people who live in the area.
Amarula was awarded gold at the 2012 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC).
Go to www.amarula.com or www.facebook.com/amarula for fabulous recipes and more interesting facts about Amarula.
Amarula is available from leading liquor outlets for around R85 a bottle.
Two Oceans, Five Medals
A cross-spectrum of wines in the popularly-priced Two Oceans range is coasting on a wave of silver won in London at the 2012 International Wine & Spirit Competition.
Five wines in the range were rated worthy of silver medals in a line-up that included contenders from across the Southern Hemisphere, some of them retailing at significantly higher prices. They are the Pinot Noir, Shiraz and Pinotage from the 2011 vintage and the Shiraz Rosé and Pinot Grigio both from 2012. Four of the five sell in South Africa. The Pinotage is the only exception.
“Although priced to please for everyday drinking, the range continues to draw critical praise,” says international spokesperson for the brand, Jackie Olivier.
The 2012 Two Oceans Shiraz Rosé came home from Germany with a gold medal earned at Mundus Vini a few weeks ago.
Locally the wines sell for around R33 a bottle.
Place In The Sun Shiraz And Cab In The Spotlight Again
The same two wines to have earned international medals for Fairtrade-accredited brand Place in the Sun in London earlier this year have been honoured again, also in London.
This time the 2011 vintage of both the Shiraz and the Cabernet Sauvignon have come back with International Wine & Spirit Competition silver medals. A few months ago the 2011 Shiraz took gold, and the 2011 Cabernet Sauvignon, silver at the 2012 Decanter World Wine Awards.
Both wines were also amongst the very first in South Africa to be entitled to carry the Ethical Seal as confirmation of the fair labour practices involved at every step from vine to bottle.
Cellar master Deon Boshoff sees the consistency of the brand’s international performance as a very encouraging sign. “These achievements make such a difference. We’re a new brand and the positive attention helps us to stand out from the crowd.”
All the fruit for Place in the Sun wines is purchased at a premium with the funds going towards farm worker projects to enhance the quality of their lives and those of their families.
Zonnebloem Showered In Silver At London Show
Zonnebloem has walked away with a total of eight silver medals at this year’s International Wine & Spirit Competition in London, with two of these, silver outstanding accolades.
The stars of the silver line-up, earning the equivalent of double silvers for excellence, were the 2009 Shiraz and the 2011 Limited Edition Sauvignon Blanc.
The other silvers went to 2010 vintages of the Shiraz, the Cabernet Sauvignon and the Shiraz/Mourvedre/Viognier, the 2009 vintages of the red blend Laureat and the Cabernet Sauvignon, as well as the 2011 Viognier.
“We are absolutely delighted to see how these medals have been awarded so widely across the range,” says international Zonnebloem spokesperson, Deidre Samson. “We take this as affirmation of our approach that quality takes time but excellence a little longer. We have worked with some of the same growers over many generations and their understanding of our needs, coupled with the experience of our cellar team, produces great results.”
Nederburg Nets Trophy For Southern Hemisphere’s Top Sauvignon
A Nederburg wine has won the trophy for the best Sauvignon Blanc produced in the Southern Hemisphere at this year’s International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in London. The news comes just a few days after Nederburg was announced as one of the top Veritas performers at this year’s SA National Wine Show. Cellar master Razvan Macici is also a finalist in the 2012 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year competition.
The 2010 Private Bin D234, sourced from vineyards in Darling, clinched the IWSC trophy and also a gold outstanding (the equivalent of a double gold) medal. It has been made for sale on the Nederburg Auction.
The IWSC trophy marks the second time the Paarl winery has come out as the top scorer in a competition involving Southern Hemisphere contenders. Last year, Nederburg’s 2009 Eminence was judged the wine of the show at the 2011 Five Nations Wine Challenge in Sydney. It also took the trophy for the top dessert wine as the highest-scoring wine in its class across the spectrum of Southern Hemisphere entrants. Interestingly, the same wine was awarded a gold at this year’s IWSC.
Other 2012 IWSC gold outstanding wines were the 2008 Eminence (that also won a Five Nations gold in Sydney last year), the 2007 Eminence and the 2009 Edelkeur.
Apart from the 2009 Eminence, Nederburg’s 2012 IWSC golds were for the 2011 Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest, a wine that is following in the footsteps of the highly celebrated 2010 vintage, as well as for the 2010, 2008 and 2007 vintages of Edelkeur.
There were seven IWSC silver outstanding medals awarded to wines across the spectrum of Nederburg’s multi-tiered range. They included two Private Bin wines, the 2011 Manor House Sauvignon Blanc, the 2010 Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest, the 2009 Two Centuries Sauvignon Blanc, the 2010 Ingenuity White ( a Platter’s South African Wine Guide five-star wine), as well as the 2011 The Manor Sauvignon Blanc.
A total of 13 silver medals were awarded to wines across the ranges. Five silvers went to Private Bin wines and the others were won by the 2010 Manor House Shiraz Mourvedre, the 2010 Winemaster’s Reserve Shiraz, the 2011 Foundation Chardonnay Viognier, the 2007 Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon, the 2011 The Old Press Merlot, the 2009 Manor House Shiraz, the 2012 Winemaster’s Reserve Pinot Grigio and the 2011 Winemaster’s Reserve Riesling.
Hartenberg’s The Eleanor Chardonnay Strikes IWSC Gold In The U.K.
Hartenberg Estate’s stellar ambassadress, The Eleanor Chardonnay 2009, staked her claim with a Gold Medal at the prestigious 2012 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC) in the United Kingdom.
Named after matriarch Eleanor Finlayson, whose family owned Hartenberg Estate for 29 years until 1977; this Chardonnay is rich, complex and full bodied. Displaying generous layers of citrus and refreshing fruity richness with a classic minerality, this wine is the personification of Eleanor’s strong and resolute character.
Founded in 1969, the International Wine & Spirit Competition is one of the most prestigious of its kind in the world and aims to promote the quality and excellence of the world’s best wines, spirits and liqueurs. The Eleanor Chardonnay 2009 competed for the IWSC judges’ attention with wines from nearly 90 countries.
Safely tucked away in Hartenberg’s underground maturation cellar, The Eleanor Chardonnay 2009 will be released once winemaker Carl Schultz is satisfied that the wine has reached it full potential. In the mean time, wine lovers can indulge in the 2008 vintage of this elegant wine, available at the cellar door for R190 a bottle or at selected boutique wine stores and fine dining restaurants.
Hartenberg Estate is situated on the Bottelary Road off the R304 to Stellenbosch. Open six days a week for tastings, picnic lunches and wetland walks, but cellar tours are by appointment only. Contact Tel: (+27)21-8652541, Email: info@hartenbergestate.com or visit www.hartenbergestate.com.
