The winning three 2003 vintage wines were chosen from a line-up of 73 local wines and were judged according to their age-worthiness by a three person panel, which consisted of chairman, Christian Eedes, respected wine writer and critic, and judges Jörg Pfützner, internationally trained and certified sommelier, and Nkulu Mkhwanazi, wine educator and entrepreneur. According to Eedes, 2003 was generally a good year for local reds, noting it could possibly be considered as vintage of the decade and as a result, the expectations of the tasting were exceptionally high. The aim of the tasting was to identify those wines that had really matured with benefit. “Ultimately we were looking to ascertain whether South African wine is age-worthy as opposed to just ageable. We were looking for wines that weren’t just a bit mellower with slightly softer tannins but wines that were starting to show really interesting tertiary character and an extra level of complexity by virtue of having spent 10 years in a bottle and by virtue of pedigree.” On the night, valued clients, judges and media were treated to a three-course dinner at the award winning Greenhouse Restaurant by acclaimed chef, Peter Tempelhoff, who specially designed courses to pair with each 2013 RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Award winner. The Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2003 was served with the first course of Springbok tataki, followed by a Beetroot Risotto for the second course, which was paired with Rudera Syrah 2003. The third course, consisting of Lamb Loin and Braised Shank, was paired with Remhoogte Estate Wine 2003. 2013 marks the inaugural year for the RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards, launched to commemorate the value-based asset management firm’s 10-year anniversary. “There is more than a coincidental link between value investing and wine-making in terms of discipline and patience needed in order to deliver the best results,” says Piet Viljoen, executive chairman at RE:CM. For further information, please visit www.recmwineawards.co.za. | Read the tasting report in full | RE:CM 10 Year Old Wine Awards Video.