“It is clearly important for the producers and marketers in the drinks industry to empower themselves with the tools necessary to promote their products,” says competition founder and organiser, Lorraine Immelman. “I believe the large number of entries again received for this year’s competition is proof local and international producers are vying for the credibility and prestige which comes with a Michelangelo award.”
Included in this year’s entries are 84 wine and spirits entries from producers in Europe. Says Lorraine, “it has been two very challenging years for the entire hospitality and wine industry. We are delighted and very grateful for the support of the industry and humbled by the vote of confidence in the competition shown by the producers.”
On Monday chairman Boela Gerber’s panel was presented with the first batch of the 145 Chenin Blanc entries received in this year’s competition. ”It is always an exciting category to judge,” he says. “There are many interpretations of this versatile grape variety, from fresh, fruit forward expressions to more nuanced and complex wines and everything in between. We had the privilege today to navigate our way through all these different styles to find the best examples!”
Panel chair Anton Swart CWM, was more philosophical when presented with the Dry White Wines class on Monday: “We tasted on a leaf day – so the wines will be all over the place. Leaf days are when the moon is in any of the Water Signs, such as Cancer, Scorpio, and Pisces and the plant is focused on producing chlorophyll. These days are generally not recommended for enjoying wine – they are experienced to be less sweet, with a dominant, earthy minerality.However the overall quality of the dry whites was good, with a few bespoke wines. Interesting varieties we tasted included Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Rousanne, Pinot Blanc and some awesome Viogniers.
“We then moved on to the first of the 140+ Cabernet Sauvignons entered this year. The unwooded ones impressed the panel but the wooded wines were by far the best wines of the day. We found very good fruit concentration and good use of oak, with all of the wines very fruit-driven. The Cabernet Sauvignons were interestingand we scored them quite well. The panel definitely enjoyed the Cabs the most!”
Says Michelangelo technical director, Winnie Bowman, “the number of entries exceeded our expectations in these difficult times. And after the first two days the stars of this year’s competition already started showing themselves. High quality wines from smaller producers have been entered in both the younger classes as well as the more mature wines and museum classes. Our highly skilled judges have been extremely complimentary about the quality of the wine presented on their panels.”
Click here to view the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards 2021 in pictures.
Please visit michelangeloawards.com for more information.