This year’s Signature Red Blend Report sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient attracted 61 entries and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale. The Top 10 is as follows:
95
- Meinert Synchronicity 2017
94
- Coterie by Wildeberg Grenache & Syrah 2021
93
- Fairview Homtini 2018
- Brampton Roxton Full-Blooded Red 2018
- Forager Red 2020
- Boplaas Gamka Reserve 2020
92
- Beaumont Vitruvian 2017
- Guardian Peak SMG 2020
- Fairview Extraño 2019
- Nederburg Baronne 2020
The idea behind the Signature Red Blend Report is ultimately to gauge if a wine of different component parts might emerge that is authentically “South African” rather than derivative of something already established elsewhere in the world of wine.
“It’s debatable if any of these wines are yet definitively of South Africa but what is exciting is the sense of adventure that winemakers are showing,” says Christian Eedes, chairman of the tasting panel and Winemag.co.za editor.
“The large amount of alternative varieties being used is particularly noteworthy”.
To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top wines and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, visit Winemag.co.za.
Wines are available for online purchase via boutique wine retailer Dry Dock Liquors.
About Winemag.co.za
Wine magazine was published from 1993 until 2011 and now lives on in digital form. It covers everything to do with South African fine wine.
Christian Eedes is editor. After graduating from Stellenbosch University with a BA Honours in philosophy, he joined Wine magazine in 2000 and served as editor between May 2008 and December 2009. He has completed a wine evaluation course and a small-scale winemaking course under the auspices of the Department of Viticulture and Oenology at Stellenbosch University. His experience includes tasting for the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show and Platter’s South African Wine Guide in addition to various other local and international competitions.
Jacqueline Lahoud is Business Director. She has extensive media experience including being publisher of Getaway magazine and Show & Events Director at RamsayMedia. Now embracing digital media.
About Prescient
Prescient, a multinational financial services company that has supported Winemag.co.za’s annual reports on both Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon for the past five years, has expanded its sponsorship to all wine categories.
Prescient, a proudly South African company, was established in Cape Town in 1998, and has subsequently grown its operations across a range of financial disciplines globally.
It takes a special research process to successfully find investment potential and navigate through the high levels of volatility and unpredictability of the financial markets. In turn, Prescient recognises Winemag.co.za’s purpose in seeking out and celebrating the best wines in South Africa, and its consequent appeal to those who appreciate that the production of a world-class wine, like investing, is a long-term proposition.
READ: Prescient Top 20 Wines SA: Tokara clinches Winery of the Year
Winemag.co.za reviewed a total of 927 wine across 20 wine categories in its various reports sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient over the course of the year. Each report was based on the outcome of a blind tasting of wines entered within the specific category.
A Top 10 was then announced with the release of each successive report. Now the individual best wine per category plus ratings on the 100-point quality scale for all the Top 10 wines can be revealed.
Winery of the Year: Tokara
Acquired by businessman and banker GT Ferreira in 1994, Tokara in Stellenbosch (with vineyards in Elgin as well) is now firmly entrenched as one of South Africa’s top wineries. Aidan Morton is the long-serving viticulturist here while Stuart Botha, previously of Eagles’ Nest, took over from the accomplished Miles Mossop mid-2017.
The property earned a Top 10 spot in every Prescient Report it entered this year, the wines to feature being: Director’s Reserve White 2017, Reserve Collection Chardonnay 2019, Director’s Reserve Red 2017, Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2017 and Reserve Collection Syrah 2017. Moreover, three of these – the white blend, the Chardonnay and the Cabernet Sauvignon – were judged best in category.
