A record number of entries have been received for the 2018 Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition, with 161 submissions to be assessed from 3 to 6 July at Nederburg, Paarl. This year marks the 22nd edition of this premier event on the South African wine calendar, with an Absa Top 10 trophy one of the most sought-after accolades for winemakers, proprietors and brand marketers.
The experienced judges will again be led by accomplished vintner Neil Ellis (proprietor of Neil Ellis Wines), with fellow panellists including wine educator Nomonde Kubheka, wine writer Samarie Smith (brand manager at Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate), wine buyer Francois Rautenbach (Singita Premier Wine Direct) and winemaker Francois Haasbroek (owner of Blackwater Wine). Tasting alongside the panel of five will be two up-and-coming protégés, Candice Barnes and Cobus Coetzee, students at Stellenbosch University and Elsenburg respectively.
The winning wines will be announced on 15 August during an award ceremony to be hosted at Cavalli Estate in Somerset West.