Diemersdal Estate’s The Journal Pinotage 2022 was selected as one of the Top 10 winners in the prestigious annual competition.
This places Diemersdal among the top producers in the history of the Absa Top 10 competition and arguably the most successful winery ever from the Durbanville wine region in terms of local accolades.
“The Absa Top 10 Pinotage trophy is one of the most sought-after red wine trophies for any South African winemaker, and winning it for the 12th time is a true privilege and honour – especially in a year commemorating the 100th year of Pinotage’s existence,” says Thys Louw, owner-winemaker at Diemersdal.
“Winning it has always been a highlight each time we have been fortunate enough to do so. But becoming one of the handful of producers to get to show 12 Absa Pinotage trophies on the mantelpiece is something truly special.”
Diemersdal The Journal Pinotage 2022 was made from 48-year old vines, farmed dryland as are all vineyards on the farm. Fermentation ensued over four days in wooden open-top fermenters, with punch-downs and pump-overs undertaken every three hours. The wine then spent 22 months maturing in new 225l French oak barrels.
Louw says an Absa Top 10 Pinotage trophy is an award you don’t take for granted. “The number of quality Pinotage producers is increasing at a rate of knots as more winemakers discover the magical qualities of the grape and its ability to express the sites of our country’s best wine regions.”
Juandré Bruwer, Diemersdal winemaker, says the quality of Diemersdal Pinotage and its distinctive character can be attributed to the farm’s cool-climate terroir, as well as the Louw family’s legacy of farming and making Pinotage.
“Dryland farming on clay and shale soils and the maritime influence of Durbanville terroir all add to the structure of the wine which is characterised by a formidable backbone complemented with bright fruit expression,” says Bruwer. “We aim for sturdiness in the wine, but elegance and refinement are non-negotiable.”
“The cellar and vineyard teams have embraced Pinotage as one of Diemersdal’s key red varieties, and it is their understanding of the grape - from the vine to the bottling of the final wine - that enables us to make a Pinotage showing true quality,” says Bruwer. “And more importantly, this 12th Absa Top 10 Trophy has shown the quality to be consistent.”