Shiraz SA revealed the winners of the 12th annual Shiraz SA Challenge, with six vintages from a wide variety of regions performing excellently.
The awards ceremony brought together finalists and wine industry celebrities at Simonsvlei Wine Cellar in Paarl on Thursday 15 August. The main sponsor was Vinventions, a long-time partner of Shiraz SA.
A total of 16 winners were named in the three categories of the Shiraz SA Challenge. Zandvliet Wine Estate performed excellently by achieving two places in the Top 12 Shiraz list.
- Bon Courage The Pepper Tree Shiraz 2022;
- De Morgenzon Reserve Syrah 2019;
- Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Syrah 2020;
- Leeuwenkuil Shiraz 2023;
- Lomond Single Vineyard Conebush Shiraz 2021;
- Nederburg The Winemasters Shiraz 2022;
- Survivor Wines Syrah 2022;
- Saronsberg Provenance Shiraz 2022;
- Spier Seaward Shiraz 2022;
- Stellenbosch Reserve Kruithuis Syrah 2022;
- Zandvliet Kalkveld Shiraz 2020; and
- Zandvliet Hill of Enon Shiraz 2021.
The 2024 Shiraz blend winners are: Benguela Cove Lighthouse Collection Moody Lagoon 2021; Eagle’s Cliff Wines Arendskloof Shiraz Tannat 2020; and KWV Roodeberg Dr Charles Niehaus 2020.
The 2024 Shiraz Rosé winner is: Eerste Hoop Shiraz Rosé 2024.
A distinguished panel of leading wine experts, led by De Grendel’s cellar master Charles Hopkins, judged the entries at Nederburg in July. Joining Hopkins on the panel were Cape Wine Master Bennie Howard, deputy chairperson of the SA National Wine Show Association, Heidi Kritzinger of Kanonkop Wine Estate, Nongcebo Langa, winemaker of Delheim Wines, RJ Botha, cellar master of Kleine Zalze, and Karabelo Masoleng of De Grendel as protégée.
According to Hopkins, the panel was impressed with the variety and quality of the entries. “The winners are all great wines that can confidently carry the flag of Shiraz in South Africa,” he said.
“While most of the 100% Shiraz entries were from the 2022 and 2021 vintages, we also tasted excellent wines from older vintages. The range of our Shiraz styles is impressive, from big, complex wines, to modern, more delicate styles with a lower alcohol content, made from whole bunches of grapes that were harvested earlier, giving the wines a unique peppery character.”
Wine MS assisted the judges, and Exceed Group audited the process and the results. Crystal Direct sponsored glasses and Lebone Paarl Labels provided the bottle seals for the winning wines. Unused wines were donated to the Pebbles Project.
Shiraz SA awarded the third annual Bellingham Bernard Podlashuk Shiraz Trophy to Jordan Wine Estate, along with a cash prize of R30 000, sponsored by Bellingham.
This magnificent trophy is named after the “Father of South African Shiraz”, Bernard Podlashuk. Together with his wife Fredagh, Podlashuk bought the farm Bellingham in Franschhoek in 1943, and they became the pioneers who bottled South Africa’s first single-varietal Shiraz in 1956.
In 2022, Saronsberg became the first trophy recipient, in recognition of their performance over the first decade of the Shiraz SA Challenge. Creation Wines was awarded as the second winner in 2023 after the future criteria were established as “sustainability, excellence, innovation, creativity and social responsibility”, in collaboration with Andrew Harris of Bellingham.
This year’s panel included Francois Haasbroek, Dr Etienne Terblanche, Prof Jako Volschenk and Gerard Martin. Three finalists were chosen, with Jordan outperforming two other worthy contenders, namely Babylonstoren and Stellenrust.
Shiraz SA invites all fans of the cultivar to celebrate national Shiraz Day on Wednesday 21 August. “Make sure to book for our special pairing experiences of Seven Days of Celebrating Shiraz,” said Edmund Terblanche, chairman of Shiraz SA.
- Visit www.ShirazSA.co.za for all the results and more information.
