South African winemaker named best in the world

Wednesday, 19 November, 2008
Media Vision Consultants
South Africa has produced the world's best winemaker for 2008. Abrie Beeslaar, winemaker at Kanonkop, the internationally known wine estate near Stellenbosch, was last night (November 17) voted the International Winemaker of the Year at the International Wine and Spirits Competition's (IWSC) gala award ceremony in London.
The IWSC is the world's leading wine and spirits competition with more than 5,500 entries received from some 50 countries.

Apart from the Wolf Blass Trophy awarded for the International Winemaker of the Year, Kanonkop also received the Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande trophy for the best blended red wine with its Paul Sauer 2003, as well as the Dave Hughes Trophy for the Best South African Producer.

"It has been a historic year for Kanonkop and it is truly an honour to have been able to share in the winery's successes," Beeslaar said from London. "To be awarded this accolade as the world's best winemaker for the year is an honour one never even dreams about, so the award has simply not sunk in yet.

"But I do know that the success belongs to the whole team working in the cellar and vineyards, as well as those who promote our wines throughout the world. But nothing equals the importance of nature with which we are blessed on Kanonkop. It's the soil and the climate that produces the grapes for the wines I am able make to the kind of quality that we are lucky enough to receive this kind of recognition for."

Beeslaar also added that he sees this award as recognition of South Africa's potential to compete with the best wine producing countries in the world. "This is the third time that the award has gone to a South African winemaker and should once more prove that our wines are at home with the best in the world."

Beeslaar's award comes at the end of an outstanding year for Kanonkop. It was the first wine-farm to receive the Château Pichon Langueville Comtesse de Lalande trophy for a third time. And locally Kanonkop was recently named Wine Producer of the Year by the Platter South African Wine Guide.
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Abrie Beeslaar
Abrie Beeslaar

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