Cape Town - It’s been a good year for South African wines in the US, with several scoring more than 90 points out of a possible 100 in exacting tastings by prestigious US wine publications.
In addition, Wine Enthusiast in New York – the world’s largest magazine devoted exclusively to wine and spirits – placed Stellenbosch winery’s De Toren 2009 Fusion V at number 27 on its list of Top 100 wines of the year.
“A layered and complex wine, the 2009 Fusion V is one remarkable selection that’s delicious now, although it certainly shows the stuffing to age well for another three to five years, at least. Forward sweet-oak notes marry harmoniously with black-fruit aromas on the nose. The robust, dense palate offers ripe flavours of cassis, blackberry and plum, with accents of leather, tobacco and licorice that linger long into the finish. Chewy, gripping tannins provide a firm structure, framing the full fruit flavours,” the review read.
Fellow Stellenbosch winery DeMorgenzon was chosen as one of Wine & Spirits Magazine’s Top 100 International Wineries of 2014 – after the panel of retailers, sommeliers, winemakers and other wine professionals tasted more than 12 000 wines in a two-step process.
Alongside wineries such as Krug (Champagne), E. Guigal and Château de Beaucastel (Rhone) and Felton Road (New Zealand), DeMorgenzon is the only South African winery to make the Top 100 list.
Wine & Spirits’ Top 100 Wineries of the Year are chosen as the producers that delivered the best overall performances in the magazine’s tastings over the past 12 months.
Founded in 1982, Wine & Spirits Magazine is published eight times a year, and read by more than 200 000 members of the US’s wine community. It also has international followers.
Another accolade for South Africa this year was Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2011, which received a top score of 95 points from Robert Parker’s Wine Advocate.
“To sum up this wine in two words: world class. Ignore at your own risk. I hope that my praise of Bruwer Raats and Mzokhona Mvemve’s astounding MR de Compostella helps put this wine on the map,” Neal Martin of Wine Advocate said.
Other South African wines that scored top points this year include:
l Kanonkop Paul Saur 2009, which scored 92 points from Wine Spectator and Wine Advocate.
l Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon 2009, which Wine Spectator scored 91 points.
l DeMorgenzon Chenin Blanc 2012, which received 93 points from Wine Advocate.
Explaining the significance of the scores, Rob Bradshaw, president and chief operating officer of Cape Classics, said the ratings in the US market remained deeply relevant to South Africa in two ways.
“First, great scores lend credibility to a category that the market is just getting to know in a meaningful way. When an expert gets behind a wine or region, it’s validation. In a more lucid sense, it can be daunting to buy wine in an environment with so much noise.
“A quality score helps the customer feel more secure about purchasing something they don’t already know.” - Weekend Argus