KWV Pinotage wins trophy at Six Nations Challenge
Wednesday, 9 October, 2013
KWV
KWV extended its victorious performance at the Six Nations Wine
Challenge when it added a trophy to the string of awards it has already
claimed at this illustrious competition in recent years. Significantly,
the trophy awarded to KWV was for a wine of South Africa’s home-grown
cultivar, Pinotage.
KWV won the trophy – one of only 17 in total - in the class of Major Red Varieties for its KWV The Mentors Pinotage 2011. The Paarl producer also claimed second place in the same class with its KWV The Mentors Petit Verdot 2011, which received a Double Gold. The presentation dinner took place in Sydney, Australia, and was attended by international dignitaries including the High Commissioner for South Africa.
“We are proud that KWV continues to win awards in domestic and international wine competitions. We are particularly excited that our KWV The Mentors Pinotage 2011 is among the winners in such a prestigious competition after also winning Gold at the 2013 International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC),” says KWV chief winemaker Johann Fourie.
Only wines achieving the highest standard qualify for The Mentors label. KWV The Mentors Pinotage 2011 was made with grapes from select bush vine vineyards and crafted in The Mentors cellar. It has emerged as an elegant wine with abundant, layered aromas of strawberry and mocha, and velvet tannins.
“Implicit in our successes is the fact that we have consciously evolved our style to produce a very modern, elegant Pinotage,” says Fourie. “It is also rewarding to see this is being recognized and appreciated by international judges.”
Essentially a show of New World wines, the Six Nations Wine Challenge aims to identify wine champions from Argentina, Australia, Chile, New Zealand, South Africa and the US, which joined this year. Wines are entered exclusively by invitation with each judge selecting the best in their country to compete. The method has given the Six Nations Wine Challenge a reputation for achieving a higher level of wine quality than peer events.
South African wines were selected="true"="true"="true"="true" by acclaimed wine judge Michael Fridjhon, who pitted the KWV top performers in a class that included the cultivars of Pinotage, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Grenache noir.
“Getting awards like these affirms that KWV is moving in the right direction in terms of our constant evolution of wine style and quality,” Fourie says. “Throughout our KWV range, there is a strong focus on producing elegant and stylistic wines, at various price points.”
KWV’s previous achievements at the Six Nations Wine Challenge include:
• Gold in 2011 for KWV The Mentors Orchestra 2009;
• Trophy in 2012 for KWV The Mentors Grenache blanc 2011; and
• Double Gold in 2012 for KWV The Mentors Chardonnay 2011.
This year’s champion wines – the KWV The Mentors Pinotage 2011 and KWV The Mentors Petit Verdot 2011 – are available for around R250 from Makro, Ultra Liquors and most fine wine shops.