In an extraordinary performance, KWV stole the limelight claiming nine Double Gold medals and ten Gold medals for all their entries, with five Double Gold medals for wine, three Double Golds for their brandies and one Double Gold award for Dessert Wine. They accumulated a total of 53 medals, the most of any producer. In addition, KWV won in the Best Performer Award category for wineries with 11 entries or more.
Commenting on the overall performance, KWV chief winemaker, Johann Fourie said, “KWV’s wine wins including double golds across white, red and fortified wines for both single, varietal and blended wines is an amazing achievement. To win best producer status five years in a row is a definitive demonstration of the consistency of styles and focus across a broad range of our wines. KWV is now delivering, year after year, levels of finesse, elegance and concentration that consumers in South Africa, and internationally, want.”
“KWV’s success”, Fourie adds, “is down to the hard work and attention to detail of the entire team, from the grape growers and viticulturists right through to the winemakers.”
“The consistency of awards across the KWV portfolio points to the strength of our fruit sourcing and winemaking capabilities,” he adds. “These awards affirm that KWV is moving in the right direction in terms of its constant evolution of wine style and quality.”
The nine Double Gold winners for KWV comprised The Mentors Chardonnay 2012, The Mentors Orchestra 2011, The Mentors Sauvignon Blanc Darling 2013, The Mentors Sémillon Darling 2014, KWV Abraham Perold Tributum 2013, KWV Classic Collection Cape Tawny Dessert Wine NV, KWV 10 Year Potstill Brandy, KWV 12 Year Potstill Brandy and the KWV Alambic 15 Year Potstill Brandy.
“We are very proud of the success we have achieved,” says Fourie. “The winemaking team has worked very hard at refining its approach to all aspects of winemaking. We know that the pursuit of excellence is never done, but acknowledgments like these motivate us to persist in our journey.”
From Paarl, Nederburg claimed two Double Gold medals with Nederburg II Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 and the Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur 2005. They went on to secure a further 11 Gold medals, the most of any producer in that category. All together, Nederburg received 40 medals at Veritas this year.
Razvan Macici, Nederburg’s cellar master as well as Global Head Winemaker for Distell, states, “Veritas remains one of the most important and relevant wine competitions for the SA consumer where double gold and gold awards remains synonymous with quality. We strive for technically accomplished wines yet which are a pleasure to drink. Getting the basics right and attention to detail from the soil to the glass are the fundamentals in winemaking”, he adds.
“For the past 10 years, Nederburg has consistently been in the top 3 positions [of the Veritas Awards], reaffirming its position as a producer of top quality wines. This is the result of great team work between all cellar staff, viticultural teams and our producers”, Macici concludes.
Spier also cemented its reputation as a world-class cellar taking home a host of medals. Spier’s Double Gold achievers were awarded to the Spier Savanah Naledi Cabernet Sauvignon 2012 and the Spier The Hutton Single Vineyard Cabernet Sauvignon (Woolworths) 2013. They raked in a further eight Gold medals and accumulated a total of 35 medals on the night.
Spier’s cellar master, Frans Smit, is passionate about crafting wines that are truly expressive of their terroir. His philosophy is to get the best out of each grape with as little interference as possible:
“The soil provides all that the dedicated wine craftsman needs,” Smit says. “What the winemaker does in the cellar is really secondary. Always respect what the vineyard hands you.”
“[In relation to Veritas] we have won two Double Gold Awards, and are delighted that our passion for crafting balanced and sophisticated Cabernets has been recognised,” Smit continues. “The spread of gold medals across other varietals shows our winemakers’ commitment to consistent excellence.”
This year saw an abundance of producers walking off with Gold medals. The line-up included Cederberg Private Cellar, Kanonkop, Kleine Zalze, Oak Valley Wines, Perdeberg Wynkelder, Rustenberg Wines and Van Ryn Brandy, scoring 2 Double Golds each. Worthy of a mention, too, is the significant number of producers who took home a double-figure number of awards on the evening, testament to the outstanding quality of wines being produced in South Africa and recognised through the Veritas Awards. In addition to the total-number of awards from KWV, Nederburg and Spier, other impressive overall medal winners included Perdeberg with 24 medals, Simonsig with 21 medals and Stellenbosch Vineyards with 16 medals.
In the category for Best Performer by Entry, Kanonkop took the honours for wineries with 10 or less entries.
BEST BRANDIES
South Africa’s leading brandy producers garnered 11 Double Gold and 7 Gold medals.
KWV scooped 3 Double Gold awards with the KWV 10 year Potstill Brandy, KWV 12 year Potstill Brandy and KWV Alambic 15 year Potstill Brandy. Other winners included Oude Meester and Van Ryn’s with 2 Double Golds each, whilst Double Gold medals were also awarded to: Collison’s White Gold, Flight of the Fish Eagle, Oude Molen, and Richelieu.
“For our team, it’s not about winning an award, it is the recognition we get as a team for what we love and believe in and this comes naturally through our commitment to the KWV strategy of always finish great,” says KWV Master Distiller, Pieter de Bod.
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