Also known as the Chardonnay of the World Competition, it attracted a total of 1 226 wines from 35 countries. The tasting was held at the luxurious Chateau de Rayatys, the wine estate belonging to the famous Pasteur Institute. It was held over four days, with foreign judges making up 60 percent of the tasting panel.
They tasted in accordance with the OIV International rules and medals were accordingly only awarded to 30 percent of the wines. Kosie Möller recently entered into partnership with Rickety Bridge's Duncan Spence, to market their wines jointly under the Kosie Möller Wines banner. Möller said winning gold for his Chardonnay in a competition of this calibre, where a strong field of wines from the same varietal had been entered, augured well for the rest of the year. Personal attention to detail, together with a continual upgrading of the quality of the wine, from the vineyard to the bottle, was a major priority of the each member of the team. Brand building was also paramount, as well as ensuring that the requirements of each market was met.
The grapes for this gold medal Chardonnay come from Kleine Parys, on the outskirts of Paarl, which Möller purchased in 2002. 'We intend launching the Kleine Parys brand shortly and the time we have spent developing the vineyards is starting to bear fruit.
'Last year the 2002 Bushman's Creek Chardonnay won a silver at this competition, so this is a clear indication that we are on the right track,' he said.
It is the second time Möller has won a gold medal at this competition - the last being with the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay - when he was the cellar master at KWV. More recently he was awarded the 2004 SAA Chairman's Award for Kosie Möller Wines supplying the most wine for the 2004 SAA wine list.
Distributed by Kirkby Communications
Contact: Kosie Möller
Tel: +27 (0) 21 863-1471
Email: kmoller@kmw.co.za
Contact: Arnold Kirkby
Tel: +27 (0) 21 872-9747
Email: arnoldk@worldonline.co.za