There’s been a bit of controversy in the media around wine competitions lately, which has made me pay attention for the first time. So when I received the invite to the Classic Wine Trophy awards I was keen to check it out. This is the 13th year of the awards so they must be doing something right.
In terms of an event, I wasn’t very impressed. It was held at Mint restaurant in the Taj Hotel, which is a good start, but the food was really not great. Then we couldn’t hear the speech and presentation of the judges, nor the presentation of the winning wines. One thing I can say is that the winning wines were excellent. We had a bottle of each of the fifteen wines at each table to try (the MCC was served earlier and the dessert wine was served with the dessert).
All of the judges are French and the wines are tasted 100% blind. They also only give out 17 gold medals so the winners are really the cream of the crop. So it seems that they have done things properly. If they can improve the awards dinner then it would be even better. You can read more about the competition on the website. Below are the winning wines.
Overall Winner
Groot Constantia
Best Sparkling
Teddy Hall Wines Blanc de Blanc 2005
Best White Wine
Groot Constantia Gouverneurs Chardonnay 2009
Best Red Wine
Groot Constantia Shiraz 2008
Best Sweet Wine
The Quinta do Sul Port (7 varieties) 2008
Gold Winners – White Wines
Groot Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 2010
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2009
Glen Carlou Quartz Stone Chardonnay 2009
Vergelegen Reserve Chardonnay 2009
Gold Winners – Red Wine
Raka Biography Shiraz 2008
La Motte Pierneef (Shiraz/Viognier) 2008
Paul Cluver Seven Flags Pinot Noir 2008
Cape Chamonix Pinot Noir 2008
Druk My Niet Find Art School Collection (Cabernet Sauvignon) 2009
Warwick Wine Trilogy (Bordeaux Blend) 2007
Thelema Sutherland (Cabernet Sauvignon/Petit Verdot) 2008
Groot Constantia Pinotage 2009
Southern Right Pinotage 2009