At the 13th annual Novare SA Terroir Wine Awards the many terroirs in the Cape Winelands which create great wines were highlighted. The 23 National Winners of cultivar wines, blends and wine styles come from 14 wine terroirs from across the winelands.
The top achiever is Groot Constantia Estate which produced the National Winners for Port style and Natural Sweet wine, respectively: the Groot Constantia Cape Ruby 2016 and Groot Constantia Grand Constance 2015. This estate in the Constantia ward also produced six other wines which scored high marks. Groot Constantia received the Novare Trophy for South Africa’s Top Wine Estate and Top Terroir Producer.
Another estate which performed well is Jordan in the Stellenboschkloof terrain, with one National Winner and two of South Africa’s Top 5 Estate Wines. The National Winner for Merlot is the Jordan Black Magic Merlot 2015 and two of the Top 5 Estate Wines are the Jordan Inspector Péringuey Chenin Blanc 2016 and Nine Yards Chardonnay 2016.
The other three Top 5 Estate Wines are the Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2014, Bon Courage Noble Late Harvest 2016 and Springfontein Limestone Rocks Gadda da Vida 2014.
The Simonsig-Paarl ward this year produced four National Winners from four wine cellars in the area: the Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2017, Anura Malbec 2016, Babylonstoren Viognier 2017 and Mitre’s Edge Petit Verdot 2015. These achievements brought the Simonsberg-Paarl ward the Novare Trophy for SA Terroir Top Area.
The Novare Trophy for South Africa’s Top Single Vineyard Wine was awarded to a Pinotage from the Breedekloof, the Flagstone Writer's Block Pinotage 2016. The same wine was also the National Winner for Pinotage. Another wine from the Breedekloof was adjudged the National Winner for Chenin Blanc: the Slanghoek Legends Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2016.
The Klaasvoogds terrain in Robertson also stood out with three National Winners, the De Wetshof Nature in Concert Pinot Noir 2017, Bon Courage Noble Late Harvest 2016 (also a Top 5 Estate Wine) and Rietvallei JMB Cabernet Franc 2015.
The Durbanville ward has this year again produced the National Winner for Sauvignon Blanc and from the same wine cellar as last year, the D’Aria The Following Sauvignon Blanc 2016. It is seldom that a Sauvignon Blanc winner is entered by the same cellar in consecutive years.
Alto Estate in Stellenbosch this year walked away with the National Winner for Cabernet Sauvignon, die Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2014 (also a Top 5 estate wine). The Stellenboschkloof terrain performed well with Jordan Estate’s winning wines as well as Neethlingshof’s National Winner, the Neethlingshof Gewurztraminer 2018.
The other National Winners are the Nuy Red Muscadel 2010 (Nuy Valley, Worcester), De Krans Touriga Nacional 2016 (Calitzdorp), Lynx Grenache 2017 (Franschhoek), Linton Park MCC Brut (Wellington), Springfontein Lime Stone Rocks Gadda da Vida 2014 (red blend, Stanford, also aTop 5 Estate Wine), Wildekrans Shiraz Barrel Select Reserve 2014 (Bot River), Ghost Corner Bowline 2016 (white blend, Elim) and Vrede en Lust Early Mist Riesling 2017 (Elgin).
This year’s judges were Kris Snyman, Jeff Grier, Jolette Steyn, David Biggs, Sandile Mkhwanazi, Elize Coetzee and Karen Glanfield.
2018 Novare Terroir Wine Awards Winners
The Novare group has been the sole sponsor of the prestigious and keenly contested Novare SA Terroir Wine Awards since their inception 13 years ago. Lucy Richardson, Marketing Manager at Novare Equity Partners, said the fund management company’s long association with the awards reflects its commitment to helping develop South Africa’s globally recognised wine industry. “Key factors that have a bearing on terroir include topography, climate, geology and soil. We congratulate this year’s winners who have combined these elements with patience skill and intuition to produce award-winning wines.”
Novare Equity Partners (www.novareequitypartners.com) is a private equity fund manager with a specific mandate to invest in retail and commercial real estate in sub-Saharan Africa, outside of South Africa.
In addition to the National Winners, Top 5 Estate Wines and Novare Trophies, the best wines in the different areas are also nominated. See the complete results available on the website www.terroirwineawards.co.za.
Trophy Winners; National Winners; Top 5 Estate Wines; Area Winners
Novare Trophy for SA Terroir Top Wine Estate: Groot Constantia
Novare Trophy for SA Top Terroir Producer: Groot Constantia
Novare Trophy for SA Terroir Top Single Vineyard Wine: Flagstone Writer's Block Pinotage 2016
Novare Trophy for SA Terroir Top Area: Simonsberg-Paarl
2018 Novare SA Terroir Wine Awards National Winners
Top Cabernet Sauvignon: Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Top Malbec: Anura Reserve Malbec 2016
Top Viognier: Babylonstoren Viognier 2017
Top Noble Late Harvest: Bon Courage Noble Late Harvest 2016
Top Sauvignon Blanc: D’Aria The Following Sauvignon Blanc 2016
Top Touriga National: De Krans Touriga Nacional 2016
Top Pinot Noir: De Wetshof Nature in Concert Pinot Noir 2017
Top Pinotage: Flagstone Writer’s Block Pinotage 2016
Top White Blend: Ghost Corner Bowline 2016
Top Chardonnay: Glen Carlou Chardonnay 2017
Top Port style: Groot Constantia Cape Ruby 2016
Top Natural Sweet: Groot Constantia Grand Constance 2015
Top Merlot: Jordan Black Magic Merlot 2015
Top Sparkling Wine: Linton Park MCC Brut
Top Grenache: Lynx Grenache 2017
Top Petit Verdot: Mitre’s Edge Petit Verdot 2015
Top Gewurztraminer: Neethlingshof Gewurztraminer 2018
Top Muscadel: Nuy Red Muscadel 2010
Top Cabernet Franc: Rietvallei JMB Cabernet Franc 2015
Top Chenin Blanc: Slanghoek Legends Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2016
Top Red Blend: Springfontein Lime Stone Rocks Gadda da Vida 2014
Top Riesling: Vrede en Lust Early Mist Riesling 2017
Top Shiraz: Wildekrans Shiraz Barrel Select Reserve 2014
Top 5 Estate Wines:
Alto Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
Bon Courage Noble Late Harvest 2016
Jordan Inspector Péringuey Chenin Blanc 2016
Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2016
Springfontein Limestone Rocks Gadda da Vida 2014