Entries for the annual Blaauwklippen Blending Competition will open to all aspiring winemakers on Monday 1 April.
The competition, which celebrates 41 years of the art of wine blending, aims to encourage wine enthusiasts to create a winning blend.
“Blends are a much-loved category of red wine, with so many possibilities and variations in character and style,” Narina Cloete, winemaker at Blaauwklippen, pointed out.
“This competition allows wine lovers to get hands-on experience in blending, a combination of science and art that captures the strengths of each varietal to create a wine that is greater than the sum of its parts.
The challenge is to create a serious Bordeaux-style blend with components from a very challenging 2023 vintage. Blenders will receive four wines (a cabernet franc, a malbec, a merlot and a petit verdot) and all four components must be used in the final blend. A maximum 65% of each cultivar may be used and a minimum of 5% of each component must be included in the blend.
Entries are made up in the Blaauwklippen cellar according to each team’s formula and tasted blind by the judging panel, which consists of some of the nation’s most astute wine personalities, along with Narina.
In addition to the trophy, the winning club earns recognition on the label of a limited-edition magnum release of their blend bottled and sold by Blaauwklippen.
To enter, a blending kit can be purchased online and recipes must be submitted as per the stipulated dates. Entries close on Tuesday 30 April, after which blending kits will be dispatched. The deadline for recipes is Wednesday 31 July and judging will take place in August, after which the awards luncheon will be held on Friday 6 September.
Visit www.blaauwklippen.com/bbc2024 to enter and for more information.
