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| Mr Ken Kynoch and Mr Dennis Gowdy from Wine Taster's Guild of South Africa |
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| Donald Pietersen and Rolf Zeitvogel |
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| Duimpie Bayly |
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| Clive Torr |
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+27 21 880-0133 |
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+27 21 880-0136 |
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mail@blaauwklippen.com |
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www.blaauwklippen.com |
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Stellenbosch is without a doubt one of the world's most renowned wine-growing regions. At the foot of the Stellenbosch Mountains, in the lush green vineyards, a tranquil and idyllic atmosphere pervades, exuding a sense of long-standing tradition and inspiring change. A place where the grapes for unrivalled wines ripen on the vine.
It is here, under the warm South African sun, that magnificent wines have been created for over 300 years. In 1682, Gert Visser founded Blaauwklippen in the wilderness of the Cape. Ever since then, it is the local people who ensure that consistently fine wines are crafted with great care and respect.
As one of South Africa's oldest wine estates, we are proud of our heritage, our excellent soil, our old vines and our 17th century manor house. Most of all, we are proud of the people who bring pride and passion to what they do.
Come and experience the rich and fascinating world of wine with us. Welcome to Blaauwklippen.
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| Cape Town based Wine Taster's Guild of South Africa takes honours in national wine competition |
| 11 September 2008 by Waterford Communications |
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| The Blaauwklippen Blending Competition celebrated its 25th anniversary
this year with a record number of 79 club entries from across South
Africa, as well as one international participant from the United
Kingdom - a marked increase from the previous years' 64 clubs that
entered.
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Founded by Blaauwklippen Wine Estate, this competition is the only wine contest in South Africa where amateur wine clubs are given the opportunity to submit their own blends for judging by a panel of professional wine experts. Besides an array of prizes, including wine from Blaauwklippen and glassware from Vitria, the winning club gets the honour of having their blend bottled under the Blaauwklippen Barouche label and sold commercially. To commemorate the 25th anniversary of the competition, the label for this year's blend is based on a specially designed artwork by well-known Stellenbosch artist Frans Groenewald. Vitria Glassware has been a sponsor of the competition for the past 25 years.
The Wine Taster's Guild of South Africa defeated the other wine clubs to win the finals of this year's competition held in Stellenbosch on 6 September 2008. The Guild was founded in 1938, and celebrates their 70th anniversary this year. What makes their win even more remarkable is the fact that they have entered this competition every year, for the past 25 years.
"To win the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition is the greatest honour for our Guild," said Ken Kynoch from the Wine Taster's Guild of South Africa. "This is the third consecutive year we made the finals and our blending ritual for the competition is a highlight on our annual calendar. The event is always done on a Sunday with lots of laughter and fellowship, followed by lunch."
In the final round of judging, The Wine Taster's Guild of South Africa was up against the This Wine, That Food Club from Stellenbosch, The Knysna Wine Tasting Guild and the Engineers Wine Society from Grahamstown.
This year, Blaauwklippen sent samples of four 2007 vintages to the clubs - Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Zinfandel. After the clubs had determined the ideal percentage of blending components to create their final wine, the 79 "creations" were tasted by a panel of wine makers and wine writers to determine the final four. The challenge to the clubs was to produce a complex, serious, dry red blend with a subtle tannin structure and good balance - a wine with finesse and freshness which can be enjoyed soon, but also allows potential for cellaring.
The Wine Taster's Guild of South Africa's winning wine was a blend of 15% Cabernet Sauvignon, 30% Merlot, 46% Shiraz and 9% Zinfandel. "We ended up in two small, but very vociferous camps, which we called the Tannics and the Herbies. The Tannics favoured more of the tannin from the Cabernet and the Herbies wanted more of the Zinfandel for its fruity, herby taste. At the end it all worked out well, and we agreed on the winning blend," Kynoch concluded.
At this year's prize giving, special thanks was given to loyal Blaauwklippen employee, Donald Pietersen, who has been assisting at the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition since its inception in 1983. Donald was honoured for his loyal service with a crystal award sponsored by Vitria Glassware.
Rolf Zeitvogel, Blaauwklippen cellar master and convenor of the judging panel, said the goal of this competition is the same today as it was when his predecessor, Walter Finlayson, founded the competition 25 years ago. "Blaauwklippen aims to give the community of South African wine enthusiasts a chance to practically become involved in the process of wine selection, as well as giving the wine clubs something to look forward to each year," he said.
"The number of entries and repeat entries underscores the popularity of this competition and the role it has in the community of wine clubs. We are also delighted that younger participants are taking part in the competition, and our aim for the next year is to take the competition to the emerging market, and hopefully introduce the art and fun of blending to a wider audience."
Zeitvogel's panel of judges this year consisted of Duimpie Bayly (Cape Wine Master, Chairman of SANW), Albert Basson (Blaauwklippen assistant winemaker), Clive Torr (Cape Wine Master), Angela Lloyd (wine judge and journalist and founder member of the Blaauwklippen Blending Competition), Mark Norrish (wine buyer), Hermann Kirschbaum (winemaker at Buitenverwachting), Hymli Krige (Cape Wine Master and journalist) and Jan du Preez (Wine Consultant).
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