After an absence of five years in the Absa Top 10, Beyerskloof near Stellenbosch, this year made history by being the first ever to enter two of the Top 10 winners, the Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2006 and Beyerskloof Reserve Pinotage 2006. The two wines are the third and fourth winning wines under the Beyerskloof label since the competition started. Co-owner and cellar master Beyers Truter with this achievement produced his ninth Top 10 wine. Guy Webber of Stellenzicht in Stellenbosch continues to be in the Pinotage limelight. He entered Stellenzicht's fifth Top 10 wine in six years, the Stellenzicht Cellarmaster's Release Pinotage 2005. This is the fourth consecutive winning entry from Stellenzicht. It is Guy Webber's sixth Top 10 wine. Daniël de Waal of Uiterwyk Estate in Stellenbosch entered his sixth Absa Top 10 Pinotage winner after an absence of four years, with the DeWaal Top of the Hill Pinotage 2006. The De Waal family of Uiterwyk Estate previously entered five winning wines in six years, from 1998 to 2003. Tukulu in Darling, the flagship black empowerment brand in the Distell stable, with winemaker Samuel Viljoen, this year entered their fifth Top 10 wine in nine years, with the Tukulu Pinotage 2006. The co-owners are Maluti Groenekloof Community Trust, Leopont 98 Properties and Distell. Simonsig Estate in Stellenbosch, with winemakers Johan Malan and Debbie Thompson, this year entered their second consecutive winning wine with the Simonsig Red Hill Pinotage 2006. It is their fourth winning wine in eight years. Pierre Wahl of Rijk's Private Cellar in Tulbagh returned to the Top 10 this year after an absence of three years, with the Rijk's Private Cellar Pinotage 2004. It is also their fourth winning wine in eight years. The first time winners who share the limelight with the renowned Pinotage masters are Anura Pinotage 2007 from the Simonsberg / Paarl ward, with winemakers Carla Pauw and Johnnie Calitz, Cloof Pinotage 2005 from Darling with winemaker Christopher van Dieren, and Fairview Primo Pinotage 2007, a wine of origin Coastal region, with winemaker Anthony de Jager. Five of the 2008 Absa Top 10 Pinotage winners are from the 2006 vintage, two from the 2007 vintage, two from the 2005 vintage and one from the 2004 vintage. Five of the winning wines are from the Stellenbosch district, two from Darling and one each from Paarl, Tulbagh and the Coastal region. It is only the second time that wines from more than three vintages reached the Top 10. "We have seen the quality of the wines in the Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition improve year-on-year and what is more encouraging is that new winemakers are continuously joining the competition. Experience, consistency, commitment and focus can however never be replaced and this year we have seen a number of the more experienced winemakers come out on top. Absa Corporate and Business bank is proud to be involved in the competition as it aligns very closely with our intention to be more than a bank. It is that same experience, consistency, commitment and focus that we as bankers continuously strive to provide to our clients," says Robert Emslie, Executive Director: Absa Corporate and Business Bank. The judges for the 2008 Absa Top 10 Pinotage Competition were Duimpie Bayly, Graham Nash, David Biggs, Wendy Burridge, Gert Boerssen, Chris Roux and Francois Naudé. The results were announced at Neethlingshof Estate near Stellenbosch. 2008 Absa Top 10 Pinotage wines (in alphabetical order): Anura Pinotage 2007 Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2006 Beyerskloof Reserve Pinotage 2006 Cloof Pinotage 2005 DeWaal Top of the Hill Pinotage 2006 Fairview Primo Pinotage 2007 Rijk's Private Cellar Pinotage 2004 Simonsig Red Hill Pinotage 2006 Stellenzicht Cellarmaster's Release Pinotage 2005 Tukulu Pinotage 2006 The ten runners-up out of the twenty finalists (in alphabetical order): Conradie Barrel Selection Reserve Pinotage 2007 Deetlefs Oak Matured Pinotage 2007 Groot Constantia Pinotage 2006 Môreson Pinotage 2007 Raka Pinotage 2007 Roland's Reserve Pinotage 2006 Spier Private Collection Pinotage 2005 Wamakersvallei La Cave Pinotage 2006 Welbedacht Pinotage 2006 Windmeul Reserve Pinotage 2007 Presentation packages of the 2008 Absa Top 10 Pinotage wines will soon be available for sale at the Wine-of-the-Month-Club - contact tel no (021) 657-8100; e-mail: wineclub@wineofthemonth.co.za. For more information on Pinotage and the South African Pinotage Association, visit the website www.pinotage.co.za. Caption for photograph Die 2008 Absa Top 10 Pinotage winners. In front from left are: Guy Webber (Stellenzicht), Robert Emslie (Absa), Pierre Wahl (Rijk's) and Lance Bouma (Anura). Behind from left are Samuel Viljoen (Tukulu), Christopher van Dieren (Cloof), Beyers Truter (Beyerskloof), Debbie Thompson (Simonsig), Daniël de Waal (DeWaal) and Erlank Erasmus (Fairview) Photographer: Hannes Oosthuizen