Any visit to Grootbos is bound to be a special occasion, but when that
visit happens to be coincide with the SAWI Awards, you know you’re going to be in for a treat. Leaving Cape Town on a Friday afternoon, I arrived at Grootbos just in
time for the welcome dinner – hosted by Bouchard Finlayson, the winners of the SAWI Awards ‘Winery of
the Year’ for 2013.
The weekend could not have had a better start – an intimate fireside
dinner and a truly special vertical tasting of some of Bouchard Finlayson’s Pinot Noirs – which
were paired with five courses from Grootbos’ kitchen:
Crisp asparagus with goat’s cheese nougat and roast lime vinaigrette
Grilled lamb loin with parsnip and thyme puree, confit tomato and red
wine jus
Crumbed prawn with wasabi aioli
Smoked bacon and field mushroom soup
Selection of local cheese and lavash
Naturally, the wines were accompanied by the standard, exceptional fare
from Grootbos – highlights included the goat’s cheese nougat and perfectly cooked lamb – both of
which I would have happily forgone for a bucket of the smoked bacon and field mushroom soup. The
best of winter, deliciously captured in a bowl.
I drifted soundly off to sleep,
before waking for a day of more feasting. Breakfast was always a simple case of trying to eat everything – culminating in the Farm
Benedict, with home cured bacon, naturally.
After a few hours of relaxing and recovering, we headed off to Garden Lodge for the main event – the awards. Wines were grouped on tables according to varietal – so
Chardonnay lovers knew exactly where to head (well away from the Shiraz crowd). The evening
was spent sipping, browsing and nibbling – the highlight of the entire evening was the opportunity
to taste the various wines, chat to the winemakers and then actually hear where the wines placed in
the awards. My standout wine discoveries for the evening included the Rustenberg Chardonnay,
Wildekrans Pinotage – and almost everything from Creation Wines. When asking Brett, one of the
founders of SAWI on any tips for the evening ahead, the advice I received was to ‘pace myself’ –
with so many wines on offer, it was truly a wine-lovers’ paradise and very easy to go overboard.
Thankfully, armed with that sound advice, carafes of water and Grootbos’ selection of ‘roaming plates’
throughout the evening, we were in good hands.
A bit about SAWI and the awards process:
"SAWi was the brainchild of wine enthusiast Izak Smit, who wanted to create a credible and objective algorithm with which the best South African wines could be identified amongst a plethora of wine competition results. From this list people could use a reliable source to choose outstanding wines. This particular wine index is unique because it has eliminated the act of personally tasting each wine to decide on the quality. Instead it relies on a particular algorithm that has been designed by SAWi. Wine accolades and reviews are collected from 84 multinational wine panels with each award weighted according to the compilation of wine panels and the number of accolades on offer, which will then affect the points score assigned to the particular wine. A nominal point is also added for a wine having received a trophy or top 10 position. The points will also vary according to how many years the wine has been awarded to measure consistency. Each wine is rated out of 100 based on multi-year performances. Since the subjectivity of the person tasting the wine has been eased and given that SAWi is not a competition, it is an incredibly reliable source to measure quality wine."
From a selection of canapés to start, to plates ranging from gruyere
soup, poached crayfish and confit lamb croquettes spread throughout the evening – all wine and
culinary needs were thoughtfully taken care of for the night. The awards themselves
highlighted some truly exceptional wines – with Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay, Saronsberg Cellar
Full Circle, Rijks Private Cellar Pinotage and Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer all scoring 99 points
out of a possible 100. When Constantia Glen was awarded Best Wine Producer for the evening, it was
hardly the end of the celebrations : with wine producers, wine lovers and culinary
enthusiasts in the same room, it was only the beginning.
The results :
De Morgenzon received the 2014 SAWi Trophy for White Wine Producer of the Year. The Trophy for the 2014 SAWi Red Wine Producer of the Year went to Kanonkop Estate, also from Stellenbosch.
The inaugural Trophy for Best South African Brandy Producer was awarded to KWV.Chardonnay dominated, with 17 accolades, followed by Shiraz wines with 12, Sauvignon Blanc and Bordeaux Blends with 10 each, Pinotage 8, Pinot Noir 6 and Red Blends 5.
Hemel and Aarde Valley had 14 wine accolades, followed by Constantia with 10 and Tulbach with 7,whilst Elgin, Franshhoek, Paarl, Stellenbosch Kloof, Blaauwklippen and Idas Valley had 5 each. Wines from Stellenbosch West, , Blaauwklippen, Cederberg, Somerset West, Franshhoek and Durbanville made up the rest.
Top scoring wines
99 points - Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay, Saronsberg Cellar Full Circle, Rijks Private Cellar
Pinotage and Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer
98 points - Eagles' Nest Shiraz and Stellenrust Wine Estate "48" Chenin Blanc
97 points - Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, Diemersdal Wine Estate Pinotage Reserve,
Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir, Spier Wines Creative Block 3 Rhone Blend and KWV The Mentors
Shiraz and Raats Mvemve Raats de Compostella Bordeaux Blend.
Top Wine Producers
Constantia Glen
Kanonkop Estate
Groot Constantia
Bouchard Finlayson
Saronsberg
De Morgenzon
Hamilton Russell Vineyards
Rustenburg Wines
De Grendel
Cederberg Private Cellar
Joubert Tradouw
Cape Chamonix
Eagles Nest
Raats Family Wines
Top Chardonnay: Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay
Top Sauvignon Blanc: Groot Constantia Estate Sauvignon Blanc
Top Chenin Blanc: Stellenrust 47 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc
Top Semillon: Cederberg Private Cellar Ghost Corner Semillon
Top Viognier: Saronsberg Cellar Viognier
Top Pinotage: Rijks Private Cellar Pinotage
Top Shiraz: Eagle’s Nest Shiraz
Top Merlot: Journeys End Vineyards Merlot
Top Pinot Noir: Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir
Top Rhone Blend: Saronsberg Full Circle Shiraz Mourvedre Viognier
Top Red Blend (other): Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal Sangiovese Pinot Noir
Top Bordeaux Blend: Kanonkop Estate Paul Sauer Cabernet Franc Merlot
Top Brandy: KWV 20 Year Old Brandy
Top Cape Port: De Krans Cape Tawny Port
Top Dessert Wine: Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest
Top Fortified Wine: KWV Vintage White Jerepigo
Top Méthode Cap Classique: ‘Pongrảcz Deciderius’ Pinot Noir Chardonnay
Wined, dined and safely to bed - it was a stellar evening of great wine and good food. Can't wait for next year.
All images are my own. I enjoyed the stay as a guest of Grootbos.
All images are my own. I enjoyed the stay as a guest of Grootbos.
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