It is the 20th presentation of the SA Terroir Wine Awards this year and the judging is being done this week (24 June to 27 June) at the SA National Wine Show tasting venue in Paarl.
From this year, six trophies are at stake, namely for overall Top Wine, Top Estate, Top Single-vineyard Wine, Top Producer and Top Ward, with the sixth trophy added now for the Top Heritage Vineyard (Old Vine) wine to celebrate the 20 years of the competition. In addition, national winners of all the cultivars and styles entered for this year’s Terroir Awards will be named.
Only wines certified as single-vineyard wine, estate-produced wine and wine from a ward or district not divided into more than one ward, are judged.
The SA Terroir Wine Awards are presented in collaboration with the financial partners SA Litho and WinField United SA, while the OntbytSAKE programme on KykNET acts as a media partner.
As industry leaders with over 120 years’ expertise, SA Litho Label Printers seamlessly combines advanced technology with unparalleled knowledge to deliver top-tier packaging solutions.
“Partnering with the SA Terroir Wine Awards reflects our shared commitment to celebrating authenticity, craftsmanship, and the unique character of South African wine,” says Dawrian Salies, general manager of SA Litho Label Printers.
WinField United SA provides innovative solutions and is involved with projects that help drive advancement and progress in agriculture. WinField United SA CEO Jan Vermaak says, “We are dedicated to delivering innovative solutions that propel agricultural progress. By actively engaging in projects that advance the industry, we help connect the entire value chain – from the soil to the shelf.”
With regards to OntbytSAKE as partner, Louis Mclaren, owner and executive producer, says, ”OntbytSAKE/kykNET takes pride in offering national exposure to the outstanding winemakers and wine farms associated with the Terroir Wine Awards. Rewarding excellence is at the heart of the programme!”
This growing and thriving competition, where wines deriving from grapes in specific wine terrains are judged – hence the term “terroir wine awards” – represents something special for the Cape winelands and for wine lovers with a passion for the country’s excellent and diverse terrains.
The SA Terroir competition originates from the highly acclaimed Wine of Origin system that was established more than 50 years ago. It was introduced on 1 September 1973 and has been amended several times since. It is considered worldwide as one of the very best systems to confirm the integrity of wine in the bottle and what appears on the label.
The judging panel comprises Conrad Louw, Chairperson, regular lecturer at the Cape Wine Academy and judge at wine competitions and Cape Wine Master; Elunda Basson, cellarmaster of Steenberg; Brendan Butler, winemaker and manager at Meinert Wines and Cape Wine Master, Anton Swarts, senior winemaker and wine purchasing manager at Spier and Cape Wine Master and Janine van Zyl, a qualified sommelier and newly graduated Cape Wine Master.
The results and winners will be announced at a luncheon on 13 August at the Lanzerac Hotel and spa and will be televised on OntbytSAKE on Saturday 23 and 30 August on channel 144.
