The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, now in its 17th year, allows the ultra-premium end of the Cape wine industry to benchmark its performance to the highest international standards, and Neethlingshof is definitely a top performer, with the Neethlingshof The Short Story Collection The Six Flowers 2017 taking Silver in the Other White Blend category. In the Pinotage category the Neethlingshof Pinotage 2017 took Silver. In the Bordeaux-style Red Blend category the Neethlingshof Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2016 took Silver, and in the Dessert Wine - Noble Late Harvest category the Neethlingshof The Short Story Collection Maria Noble Late Harvest 2017 also took Silver.
In addition to the above, Neethlingshof’s The Short Story Collection Maria Noble Late Harvest 2011 took Silver in the Dessert Wine - Noble Late Harvest Museum Class - a category which requires that white wine entrants be at least four years old and all other wines at least eight years old. Museum class entries have become an important feature of the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show as more producers recognise the value of suitably aged, top quality wines.
About the winning Neethlingshof wines
Neethlingshof’s winning The Short Story Collection The Six Flowers 2017, which is a white blend of Chardonnay (30%), Chenin Blanc (28%), Sauvignon Blanc (26%), W. Riesling (11%), Gewurztraminer (4%) and Viognier (1%), highlights the story of Maria Magdalena Marais, the resourceful and feisty young widow who took over the building of the Neethlingshof manor house after the death of her husband, Charles, in 1813. The home was completed the following year and is now a national monument. As a tribute to her children she personally created and placed six flowers representing her five children and herself in the Manor House’s gables. Still relevant today, these six flowers represent the current generation’s restoration of renosterveld vegetation that was common among the vineyards in the 1800s.
Also part of Neethlingshof’s signature The Short Story Collection range of wines, the winning Maria Noble Late Harvest 2017 and 2011 vintage are blends comprising of 73% Weisser Riesling and 27% Sauvignon Blanc. This golden yellow wine with a bouquet that features dried apricots, honey and peaches, has a concentrated flavour of fruit cake with honey and marmalade.
"Both Maria wines are exceptional - the 2011 offers concrete evidence that the 2017 has great ageing potential,” says Winemaker De Wet Viljoen.
The winning Neethlingshof Pinotage 2017 and the Neethlingshof Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot 2016 - which is made from a blend of 52% Cabernet Sauvignon and 48% Merlot - both form part of Neethlingshof’s The Estate Range of wines.
“The Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot shows all the right characteristics of a Bordeaux-style wine; it has a firm structure with enough fruit to carry the wine.”
“I am very proud of the three 2017 vintage wines that were nominated; it supports our drive for quality even under challenging circumstances such as the drought. The Six Flowers shows a good combination of complexity and elegance, whilst the Pinotage shows soft tannins which makes it an easy-drinking wine, despite its young age,” concludes Viljoen.
The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show
The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show features some of the world's leading wine judges - made up of winemakers, Master Sommeliers and Masters of Wine - who take part in three - person tasting panels before producing a consensus-driven result. Judges never see the bottles or any aspect of the packaging, ensuring that their opinion is based on the wine’s merits rather than its image or reputation.
This year’s international judges were Isa Bal MS, (UK) Master Sommelier and the former Head Sommelier at Heston Blumenthal’s 3 star Michelin Restaurant The Fat Duck; Charles Chevallier (France), ex-technical director, and now group ambassador and senior advisor to the Domaines Barons de Rothschild Lafite group; and Debra Meiburg MW (Hong Kong), an award-winning author, journalist, TV personality, international speaker, and widely considered the global authority on the Asian wine market.
The South African panel comprised of Narina Cloete, winemaker for the Blaauwklippen Agricultural Estate; Heidi Duminy CWM, National Trade Marketing Manager for Meridian Wine Merchants; Christian Eedes, co-owner and editor of winemag.co.za; Alexandra McFarlane, winemaker at Druk-My-Niet; Nkulu Mkhwanazi, Johannesburg-based wine educator; and James Pietersen, SA Portfolio manager for Wine Cellar. Michael Fridjhon was the Show Chairman.
A countrywide road show showcasing the winning Trophy, Gold and Silver Medal wines is now under-way, with the Cape Town Public Tasting takes place on Wednesday 13 June at the Cape Town International Convention Centre, and on Friday 15 June in Johannesburg at the Sandton Convention Centre in Bill Gallagher Room. Tickets are available via Computicket and cost R200.
For more information on Neethlingshof's extensive wine range and offerings, visit www.neethlingshof.co.za
For press assistance contact Ian and Lise Manley of Manley Communications on 0861 MANLEY (626 539), email premierbrands@manley-communications.com or visit the Press Room of Manley Communications at www.manley-communications.com