At this year’s Veritas Awards the Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2022 reaped a Double Gold at this venerable wine competition, which attracted over 1 300 entries.
Veritas chairman Christo Pienaar, left, with Diemersdal winemakers Mari Branders, Thys Louw and Juandré Bruwer.
Adding to Diemersdal’s Double Gold, four Gold medals went the way of the estate’s red wines, namely The Journal Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, Pinotage Reserve 2018, The Journal Pinotage 2020 and Shiraz 2021.
Thys Louw, Diemersdal proprietor and winemaker, says his Sauvignon Blanc Reserve originates from the highest vineyards on the Durbanville property lying at 300m above sea-level. “This allows for direct exposure to the cool air-flows and mists from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, as well as being fanned by the brisk south-easterly wind in summer,” he says.
Soils are of decomposed granite, with a clay component providing water-retention capabilities, something which is necessary on Diemersdal as all the farm’s vineyards are dryland with no irrigation, the vines thus being totally dependent on the 600mm of rainfall per year.
After harvesting the juice was fermented and kept on gross lees in stainless steel tanks for five months, with monthly lees stirring for optimal flavour complexity and texture.
“Sauvignon Blanc Reserve is truly a minimum intervention wine with the emphasis on purity expressing its elevated site, the soil composition and the exposure to wind from the Atlantic Ocean and from the south-east,” he says.
According to Louw, the quality of Cape Sauvignon Blanc was underscored at this year’s Veritas where 17 wines received Double Gold medals making it the most Double Gold-awarded category in the competition.
“The variety has firmly staked its place at the top-end of South Africa’s wine offering, both in terms of quality as well as its popularity among local and international consumers,” he says. “Winning a Double Gold Veritas is always a tremendous honour, and for me as a Durbanville producer these awards are important for the reputation of Durbanville as a leading wine region.”
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