The Platter’s by Diners Club South
African Wine Guide 2015 was launched at a gathering of the who’s who of the wine industry at Cape Town’s Mount Nelson Hotel today. Over 200 guests were eager to discover which
wines achieved five star status, and to celebrate the white wine of the year,
the red wine of the year, and the wine estate taking the ultimate accolade as
the Platter’s South African winery of
the year for 2015.
Diners Club and Platter’s are delighted to announce that the Swartland-based Sadie Family Wines is the Guide’s Winery of the Year for a historic second time. The winery first took the honour in 2010 and it is the only winery to emerge from this year’s stringent judging process with three maximum five star ratings for the 2015 edition of Platter’s. Congratulations further go to De Trafford Blueprint Syrah 2012, hailed as Red Wine of the Year, and DeMorgenzon Reserve Chardonnay 2013, celebrated as the White Wine of the Year. The 2015 guide features 50 five star wines and one new five star brandy.
Publisher of Platter’s, Jean-Pierre Rossouw,
says: “We introduced a new five
star tastings system for the 2015 guide that saw small panels of tasters
assessing each category meticulously and in an unhurried fashion. Therefore,
producers that have achieved five stars in the 2015 guide can be sure that
their wine or wines are truly exceptional. At the same time, there were many
very tight decisions and hotly debated wines – making the list of Highly
Recommended wines replete with fantastic options that just missed the cut.”
Rossouw adds, “Platter’s is different in
that it is a wine guide –
and not a
competition per se. Our expert tasters initially assess the wines sighted, to
assist learning as much as possible about the intent of the producer and the
wine’s back-story, as well as vital details such as
site and climate. But when it comes to the five star tasting, we shift to a
blind tasting format as we are then comparing wines against each other within
categories.”
This year also saw nine
wineries achieving five stars for the first time: Creation Wines, Crystallum,
Diners Club Bartho Eksteen Academy, Fram, Iona, Oldenburg, Porseleinberg,
Stellenbosch Vineyards/Flagship and Sumaridge.
The five star achievers for 2015 are:
Cabernet Franc
- Warwick Estate Cabernet
Franc 2011
Cabernet Sauvignon
- Groot Constantia Estate
Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
- Le Riche Wines Cabernet
Sauvignon Reserve 2011
- Nederburg Wines II
Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2010
- Oldenburg Vineyards
Cabernet Sauvignon 2011
- Stark-Condé Wines Three Pines
Cabernet Sauvignon 2012
Cinsaut
- Sadie Family Wines
Pofadder 2013
Petit Verdot
- Stellenbosch Vineyards
Flagship Petit Verdot 2010
Pinotage
- Flagstone Winery Time
Manner Place Pinotage 2012
- Kanonkop Estate Black
Label Pinotage 2012
Pinot Noir
- Creation Wines Reserve
Pinot Noir 2013
- Crystallum Cuvée Cinéma Pinot Noir 2013
- Newton Johnson Vineyards
Family Vineyards Pinot Noir 2013
- Sumaridge Wines Pinot
Noir 2012
Shiraz/Syrah
- Boekenhoutskloof Winery
Syrah 2012
- Boschendal Wines Cecil
John Reserve Shiraz 2012
- De Trafford Wines
Blueprint Syrah 2012
- Fable Mountain Vineyards
Syrah 2012
- Porseleinberg
Porseleinberg 2012
Red Blends
- Delaire Graff Estate
Botmaskop 2012
- Ernie Els Wines CWG
Auction Reserve 2012
- Hartenberg Estate The
Mackenzie 2011
- Thelema Mountain
Vineyards Rabelais 2010
- Vilafonté Series C 2011
Chardonnay
- DeMorgenzon Reserve
Chardonnay 2013
- Iona Vineyards Chardonnay
2013
- Richard Kershaw Wines
Elgin Chardonnay 2013
- Sterhuis Barrel Selection
Chardonnay 2012
Chenin Blanc
- Alheit Vineyards Magnetic
North Mountain Makstok 2013
- Fram Wines Chenin Blanc
2013
- Kaapzicht Wine Estate The
1947 Chenin Blanc 2013
Grenache Blanc
- The Foundry Grenache
Blanc 2013
Sauvignon Blanc
- Buitenverwachting Husseys
Vlei Sauvignon Blanc 2013
- Diners Club Bartho
Eksteen Wine Academy CWG Auction Reserve Vloekskoot
Sauvignon Blanc 2013
- Reyneke Wines Reserve
White 2013
Semillon
- Vergelegen Wines Reserve
Semillon 2013
White Blends
- Constantia Uitsig
Constantia White 2013
- David & Nadia Sadie
Aristargos 2013
- DeMorgenzon Maestro White
2013
- Flagstone Winery Treaty
Tree Reserve White Blend 2013
- Miles Mossop Wines Saskia
2012
- Oak Valley Wines Mountain
Reserve White Blend 2010
- Sadie Family Wines
Palladius 2012
- Sadie Family Wines
Skerpioen 2013
Méthode Cap Classique
- Graham Beck Wines Blanc
de Blancs Brut 2009
Dessert Wine, Unfortified
- Delheim Wines Edelspatz
Noble Late Harvest 2013
- Mullineux & Leeu
Family Wines Straw Wine 2013
Dessert Wine, Fortified
- Nuy Wine Cellar White
Muscadel 2013
Port-Style
- Boplaas Family Vineyards
Cape Tawny Vintners Reserve NV
- De Krans Cape Vintage
Reserve 2012
Brandy
- KWV 12 Year Old Barrel
Select Brandy
Platter’s 2015 print version is available from mid-November at select bookstores and retail outlets countrywide. The recommended retail price is R195. The book can also be ordered online from Platter’s website (www.wineonaplatter.com). The web-based version of the guide is available at www.wineonaplatter.com.