If any proof was needed: his 2008 Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Shiraz has just come away from Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada with a gold medal, while the 2010 Stellenzicht Golden Triangle Pinotage was recently awarded gold at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show. The Sélections Mondiales des Vins Canada, held for the first time in 1983, is considered the most important wine competition in North America. Almost 2 000 entries from 35 countries were judged this year. Shiraz and Pinotage take pride of place in the Stellenzicht line-up with both the top-of-the-range Syrah and the Pinotage regularly scoring four and a half stars in the Platter’s South African Wine Guide. As one of a small group of progressive winemakers Guy, who has a reputation for innovation in the cellar, has been making a notable contribution to the improvement in the quality of local Shiraz and Pinotage wines. Stellenzicht has long been associated with excellence in the making of Shiraz. Several cases of the 1997 Syrah will be sold at the Nederburg Auction in September where the top echelon of Cape wines goes under the hammer every year. Guy has no qualms in admitting that Pinotage is his favourite cultivar and he has been very much part of the “gentrification” of this varietal over the past few years, producing examples of refinement with softer tannins and more dominant Pinot Noir characteristics. A Pinotage from Stellenzicht has therefore featured not surprisingly on the annual Absa Pinotage Top Ten list more than once. With typical modesty he attributes the winery’s success to its location in what is locally known as the Golden Triangle, a small area between the Helderberg and Stellenbosch Mountains, and in particular to its terroir which produces rich, deep, complex wines with good acidity and gentle tannins. He also highlights the importance of outstanding vineyard management. Both wines are still available in wine stores, and both sell at about R85 per bottle.