South African sparkling wines on world Top 10 list
Thursday, 29 November, 2012
allAfrica.com
Two South African sparkling wines, Pongracz Rosé Brut and Boschendal Le
Grand Pavillon Brut Rosé, have made it onto the top 10 'Best Sparkling
Wines in the World' list at the 2012 Effervescents du Monde annual
competition held in Dijon, France earlier in November.
Effervescents du Monde is a competition where over 100 judges select the best sparkling wines from 660 entries coming from 25 countries around the world.
The Top 10 2012 actually includes 19 wines as "some wines are rigorously equal" and could not be excluded from the list, Effervescents du Monde said in a statement. The winners were announced at the event hosted from 14 to 16 November.
The competition's ambition is to "award reliable and representative medals each year, reflecting the founding motto of Effervescents du Monde: diversity, quality and high standards".
"In 2012, Spain, Italy and Switzerland obtained many medals. These three countries [were] very closely followed by Brazil, Chile, South Africa and Portugal," competition organisers said.
The competition is in its 10th year, and aims to highlight the efforts made by sparkling wine producers and encourage scientific research and knowledge about these wines.
It was certified by the French consumer protection agency and the European Union in 2003.
"To be amongst this illustrious line-up of the best sparkling wines in the world in the land of Champagne, is a wonderful recognition for our Pongrácz team and we are particularly proud of the recognition for our Rosé," said winemaker Elunda Basson.
"The 2012 edition has been a success, with growth in participation showing that there is increasing interest in international, quality-based competitions," Effervescents du Monde said.