The John Platter SA Wine Guide has announced the names of the new five-star wines to be featured in the upcoming 2005 edition, to be published in late November.
The results are the culmination of several months of intensive tasting, by an internationally experienced team, of well over 4 000 individual wines. These were sampled and ranked according to the guide's five-point scale, which ranges from 0 stars ('somewhat less than ordinary') up to 5 stars ('superlative. a Cape classic').
In the course of this year's evaluations, the guide's tasters identified 67 candidate five stars (only finished, bottled wines, available during the currency of the guide, were considered). The short-listed wines were then judged by a full panel.
Andrew McDowall, the guide's publisher, says: 'Our policy remains to taste and assess, as far as is practically possible, all of the wines that are available for the duration of the particular edition, locally as well as abroad. Given the enormous number of ranges and individual products tasted, the 17 that made the cut this year are a very select group indeed.'
The five stars for 2005 are:
1. Axe Hill Cape Vintage Port 2002
2. Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2002
3. Boplaas Wine Cellar Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2002
4. Cape Point Vineyards Semillon 2003
5. Ernie Els 2002
6. Hamilton Russell Vineyards Chardonnay 2003
7. Hamilton Russell Vineyards Pinot Noir 2003
8. Jean Daneel Wines Signature Chenin Blanc 2003
9. Joostenberg Wines Chenin Blanc Noble Late Harvest 2003
10. Jordan Winery Nine Yards Chardonnay Reserve 2003
11. Kaapzicht Estate Steytler Vision 2001
12. Robertson Winery Wide River Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2001
13. Rust en Vrede Estate Wine 2001
14. Sadie Family Wines Columella 2002
15. Steenberg Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2004
16. Vergelegen Semillon CWG 2003
17. Vergelegen White 2003
'We would like to extend our congratulations to the top scorers, and of course to the balance of the contenders who, together, will be featured in a new standalone section of the 2005 edition, The Wines of the Year,' McDowall said.
'In a first for the guide, the team has also singled out one wine which they believe merits the title Wine of the Year. The name of the wine will only be revealed at the official book launch in November. Suffice to say wine drinkers are in for a pleasant surprise.'
The 2005 edition will be available from selected book shops and retail outlets, as well as the website, www.platteronline.com. The recommended retail price is R109.95.
Publisher: Andrew McDowall, winebook@mweb.co.za , Tel: 028-313-1281 / Cell: 082-490-1820