The Trophy Wine Show Judges’ Feedback Session is back in person and was held on 18 May at The Lord Charles Hotel, Somerset West.
The Trophy Wine Show brought to you by Investec is South Africa’s premier wine competition that recognises the top local wines and winemakers, and honours excellence in the wine industry. This year this prestigious event marked its 22nd anniversary.
As the main sponsor, Investec is thrilled to take part in a contest that tastes through nearly 1000 wines to choose the best in South Africa. The show’s organisers were able to convene the judges to share their experience through the results thanks to Investec’s support of the competition, which recognises the rigorous methodology that goes into the show’s judging.
There are detailed rules and guidelines in the entry kit, including information on certification requirements, market ready wines, and blend composition.
Trophy judges
The judging panel has been chaired by leading wine authority Michael Fridjhon since the inception of the show. The 2023 panel comprises three international and six local judges covering a broad range of expertise.
The Trophy Wine Show judges 2023
Anne Krebiehl MW, German-born and London-based, widely published freelance wine writer and lecturer, Benjamin Roffet, a Dijon graduate who celebrates 20 years in the restaurant industry as a sommelier, mostly working in France and the UK, and Jancis Robinson MW OBE, a well-known wine writer and founder of JancisRobinson.com, make up this year’s panel of three international judges for The Trophy Wine Show.
Local panellists – all specialists in the field which they have been selected to judge – include Heidi Duminy, cape wine master and principal of the Cape Wine Academy; James Pietersen, CEO of Wine Cellar Fine Wine Merchants, a former wine buyer for the Vineyard Connection; Trizanne Barnard, owner and director of Trizanne Signature Wines; Gynore Hendricks, winemaker of Great Heart Wines and associate winemaker at Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines; Patson Mathonsi, Main Market Regional sales manager Gauteng/KZN at Spier; JD Pretorius, cellarmaster at Warwick Wines; and Cathy van Zyl MW, Vice-Chair of the Institute of Masters of Wine’s education committee.
Observations from the judges
The Trophy judging was followed by a feedback session where the judges discussed the various classes they evaluated.
Jancis, who judged for The Trophy Wine Show in 2003, 2007, and in 2023, discovered development in our country’s wine industry. “South African winemaking has hugely improved and became much more sophisticated, refreshing and refined and slightly reflects trends everywhere,” she says. Benjamin adds that the future of South Africa’s wine industry looks bright compared to what he saw four years ago as a judge. “This year I saw a lot more personality in your wine.”
The Chardonnay class was a huge pleasure for Jancis to judge and she always loves the fact that in South Africa we have the ocean influence more evident than in most substantial, non-European countries, which has been a unique characteristic of South African whites for many years.
“The Pinotage are a working progress, but I believe it will eventually reach its potential, if your climate doesn’t heat up too much,” says Janice. According to Heidi, the Pinotage class is extremely diverse, but there is much less use of dominating oak and ripeness, suggesting that there is still some uncertainty about what makes a definitive Pinotage.
“South African reds often have too much fruit sweetness, which I would like to see toned down a bit and given a little more savoury character,” says Cathy. For James the Shiraz came off very positive. “Shiraz is very important to South Africa at the moment. It is probably the leading red wine category in terms of depth and quality.” The only criticism he could add is to be careful about abusing light wines for the sake of lightness, as these lack a bit of power and substance, as well as not committing to a style. “If you don’t commit to a style, you fall into the space where you are just making a Vin Rouge.”
The Sauvignon Blanc category was also on Cathy’s list to judge this year, and she was very impressed. “It is a highly commercial category, and we offer various styles for everyone to enjoy.” She describes it as one of Sauvignon Blanc’s strengths that we are showing at home and in foreign markets. According to JD, Sauvignon Blanc styles range from being very green to being highly tropical. “Regarding managing the oak structure and the concentration of the wines, the wooden class is the one style in which we continue to improve.”
Anne found the so-called niche white category very exciting. Among the cultivars they tasted were Vermentino, Verdelho, and Picpoul Blanc. “Having seen the difficulties associated with commercialising these cultivars, which are less well known than Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc, I am very happy that these grapes are being given a chance.” She continues by pointing out that the climate is constantly changing and that some cultivars come from regions with hot, dry climates. “It’s wonderful to realise that these mostly Mediterranean cultivars are finding a new home here.”
Trizanne judged among the category of Chenin, Bordeaux reds, niche reds and Rosé. “We are producing world class Chenins. Our growers know what they are doing, and the winemakers are very modest and respectful with oak.” She also voiced the hope that South African vintners plant more niche red wine cultivars and winemakers experiment with them on a larger scale. She says the Touriga nacional blend and the blend form Sangiovesi and Nebiolo they tried was stunning. “South Africa can excel in this area. We should stick our necks out more here and make more of these types of wines.”
For Gynore Hendricks, Grenache noir and Cinsault stood out in the category for niche red wine cultivars. “The Malbecs were really well made this year.” Several of the judges echoed her sentiment about Malbec.
What most fascinates Patson about the show is how the judges give each contestant a chance. “When we don’t detect anything on the nose, we always try another bottle to see if we can pick up something different.”
A very positive set of figures were seen at this year’s Trophy Wine Show. The three strongest classes in terms of gold medals were Cab, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc. “This is an indicator that our core varieties are the ones yielding the higher number of gold and silvers.” says Michael.
The 2023 Show results will be announced on the 8th of June. Results will be available immediately on The Trophy Wine Show website and within 24 hours wines will be sold via Port2Port, South Africa’s biggest online fine wine market place.
