Diners Club Winemaker of the Year 2014 finalists announced

Friday, 31 October, 2014
Diners Club Winemaker of the Year
The finalists of the prestigious Diners Club Winemaker of the Year 2014 are Jacques Erasmus (Spier Wines), Alicia Rechner (Backsberg Estate Cellars), Alvi van der Merwe (Alvi’s Drift Private Cellar) and Bryan MacRobert (The Hughes Family Wines).

Both Jacques Erasmus and Alvi van der Merwe have been nominated for two of their wines – the Spier Creative Block 2 2014 and 2013, and the Alvi’s Drift AD CVC 2011 and 2012, respectively.

This year’s category for the Winemaker of the Year is Dry White Wine Blends and the winner will be announced at a black tie gala dinner at the La Residence Hotel in Franschhoek on 15 November 2014.

Announcing the names of the finalists, Ebrahim Matthews, Managing Director of Diners Club South Africa, says, “We are delighted, once again, to present some of the country’s most outstanding winemakers in this annual award. Each year we look forward to honouring winemakers who have delivered outstanding results from their vineyards.

“Diners Club introduced the Winemaker of the Year Awards in 1981 to encourage local winemakers to raise the standard of wines produced in South Africa. In addition to the title and the trophy, the Winemaker of the Year receives two return tickets to the United States, sponsored by Delta Airlines, plus R50 000.

Dave Hughes, chairman of the judging panel adds, “With two finalists being nominated twice, we have an excellent indication of their consistency as winemakers. The Diners Club Winemaker of the Year competition is all about quality, and this award assures the winemaker’s career.”

The international judge on this year’s panel, Beatriz Machado, was also impressed with the quality of the white wines. “It was fascinating to experience the maturity of the winemakers as well as the world class wines which they are producing,” she says. “Over the judging period I was exposed to so many white wines. The experience has demystified my preconceived ideas about South African wines.

“A winning wine must be like a perfect orchestra,” she adds. “Nothing must stand out, it must be clean, without fault, complex on the nose with at least four specific descriptors, the balance between acidity and bitterness must be good and the aftertaste must linger.”

Now in its 34th year, the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year is regarded as the country’s most well-respected wine industry competition. The awards recognise the art of making fine South African wines and celebrate the experts behind the winemaking process.

About the finalists:


Jacques Erasmus, winemaker at Spier Estate entered the Creative Block 2 2013 and the Creative Block 2 2014. Jacques has been the winemaker for white wines on the estate since 2008 and was involved with the launch of the Creative Block range in 2009.

Alvi van der Merwe from Alvi’s Drift Private Cellar entered the Alvi’s Drift AD CVC 2011 and 2012 wines. Alvi spent 15 years in the medical field before returning to the family farm to make wine.

Alicia Rechner from Backsberg Estate Cellars entered the Backsberg Family Reserve 2014. After four years in Europe and Australia, Alicia started making wines at Backsberg Estate Cellars in 2002. In 2008, she took a four-year break from Backsberg, working at corporate South African wineries and returned in mid 2012 as cellar master.

Bryan MacRobert from The Hughes Family Wines travels between South Africa and Spain, harvesting and creating wines in both countries. He entered the Nativo White Blend 2013, the first organic wine to be made on the estate.

The Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year finalists will be announced on Friday 31 October 2014.

CAPTION: The Diners Club Winemaker of the Year 2014 finalists photographed at La Residence, Franschhoek, are from left: Jacques Erasmus, Alvi van der Merwe, Bryan MacRobert and Alicia Rechner.