The big one as far as awards go, was the gold medal that the Orange River Cellars Straw Wine 2014 clinched at Veritas, South Africa's biggest and most recognised wine competition. It was a remarkable year to achieve this feat – with 1 763 wines entered, the rivalry for medals was more intense than ever. Moreover, Veritas celebrated its 25th anniversary this year, adding more prestige to this achievement by Orange River Cellar.
The news that Orange River Cellars, the Northern Cape's premier wine cellar, again excelled with their delicious Muscadel wines shouldn't come as a surprise to wine consumers. This year though, this perennial success story reached new heights. At the Muscadel SA Competition, one of South Africa's most influential competitions for fortified wine, Orange River Cellars' Red Muscadel 2013 won a coveted Platinum award – one of only two of these rare distinctions to be awarded at this year's Muscadel competition.
This winning wine was fittingly well dressed in the cellar's new packaging for fortified wines. The Muscadel, Jerepigo, Sherry and Port now boast an elegant new bottle as well as a clean, sophisticated label.
Looking abroad, Orange River Cellars quenched the dragon's thirst in 2015. At this year's China Wine & Spirits Awards, the biggest wine competition in China, four of their wines secured sought-after gold medals.
The cellar's Lyra Vega 2012 red blend, Ruby Cabernet 2013, Shiraz 2013 and Pinotage 2014 all received gold in one of the world most competitive wine shows where thousands of wines from 35 countries were judged by a host of experts.
According to Koos Visser, marketing manager of Orange River Cellars, the importance of these achievements in China is twofold.
“Firstly, these four medals emphasize yet again the quality of the wines made in our cellars thanks to outstanding vineyard management and winemaking skill,” he explained. “It was particularly pleasing to see how Orange River Cellars' Lyra Vega wine, a relatively new addition to our range, captured the imagination of the judges. Actually, the fact that we achieved all our gold medals with red wines is quite surprizing considering that most of the plantings in our region are white grape varieties.”
The second reason for the importance of Orange River Cellars' stellar performance at the China Wine & Spirits Awards is the vast scope of the Chinese wine market.
“After the US, China is currently the largest wine market in the world, and the competition to gain a share of this market is fierce as every wine country is vying to get a foot in the door,” says Visser. “The gold medals we won there will certainly help to elevate the profile of Orange River Cellars in China and in so doing give our wines more exposure in that exciting market.”
Orange River Cellars has been exporting wine to China for some time, and the cellar has received Chinese wine buyers in Upington on numerous occasions to introduce them to the region and its wines.
One highlight that still has the South African wine industry talking, was the National Young Wine Show held at Augrabies in August. Cellars from across the country descended on Kakamas, Upington and Keimoes for this important wine event, and the Oranjevaal Young Wine Show Association treated them to an celebration second to none.
There was a spectacular wine tasting at the Augrabies Falls, followed by an all-night awards ceremony in a warehouse. It was a social event that will be remembered for a long time. And to crown everything, Orange River Cellars produced a SA national champion wine in the category of Best Natural Sweet White Wine, namely the Natural Sweet Colombard/White Muscadel from Kakamas.
One cannot help but look forward to 2016 with a surging spirit of positivity...