World coup for KZN winery

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Published Jul 11, 2014

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Durban - Midlands-basedAbingdon Wine Estate has won a bronze medal for its Viognier 2013 at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London.

The awards had a record-breaking 15 007 entries from 47 countries and a judging panel consisting of 224 specialist tasters including 66 masters of wine.

Those credentials make them undoubtedly the most influential wine award globally.

The viognier was wholly produced from estate grapes and matured in French oak for 12 months.

The tasting panel notes were: “Interesting nutty and honeysuckle notes and an intense apricot, white peach and floral character. Timeless and typical with musky, slightly bitter notes.”

In 2007 Abingdon became the first to produce a certified estate wine from KwaZulu-Natal. Its wines are exclusively produced from the grapes grown on the 2.5ha family estate as required legally to attain the estate designation.

Owners Ian and Jane Smorthwaite bought the farm in 2000 and planted their first vines in 2004 to pioneer a unique estate and winery experience.

Situated 1 100m above sea level, the couple have worked tirelessly to position Abingdon as a serious single vineyard boutique producer.

The Decanter award symbolises and cements international recognition.

* On a different score, having the chance to drink a wine from your birth year is often a goal for those passionate about the fruits of the vine. Those lucky enough to have parents who planned ahead in preparation for a 21st celebration hopefully appreciate the gesture, but as the years pass, fulfilling the dream grows increasingly slim.

Hence, it was with reverence that I was invited to share a bottle of Lanzerac Cabernet Sauvignon 1970 and a Nederburg Selected Pinotage 1970 (and, because the person sharing them felt the urge to throw it into the mix, a Nederburg Cabernet Sauvignon 1976).

Each wine was a stunning expression of craftsmanship and, despite the pinotage having lost about 100ml to the angels over the years and releasing a pitch-black cork that smelt like marmite, were akin to drinking nectar.

The pinotage was Nederburg’s first bottling of this South African-grown varietal and was only produced for export to Germany. It was not until the mid-1980s that the winery began releasing pinotage locally and then only via its annual auction.

The Lanzerac back label was written in English, Afrikaans and German, while the Nederburg, despite going to Germany, was written in English, Afrikaans, French and Italian.

It was an honour to add these wines to the memory bank.

* E-mail [email protected]

The Mercury

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