The overall quality of the portfolio of wines that Paarl's Backsberg Estate Cellars has on offer in the USA, has just earned the well-known winery huge acclamation in one of the country's top wine publications.
New York's Wine and Spirits magazine has just listed Backsberg among its top hundred international wineries in its special issue and annual buying guide for 2005. It is the only South African winery to be honoured as such.
On the W&S list, Backsberg finds itself in the company of prestigious international names such as Wolf Blass, Penfolds and Yalumba of Australia; Joseph Drouhin, Nicolas Joly, Château Rayas, Louis Roederer and Krug of France; Bründlmayer of Austria; Ornellaia, Ricasoli and Ceretto of Italy; Segura Viudas and Marqués de Riscal of Spain; and Ramos Pinto and Niepoort of Portugal - to mention but a few.
In its assessment, written by assistant editor, Rupa Bhattacharya, the magazine gives the top score to Backsberg's John Martin Sauvignon Blanc 2003 with 90 points out of 100. Out of ten wines tasted earlier in the year, six were recommended by the tasting panel, which praised the wines for delivering quality overall.
Bhattacharya notes that the John Martin offers a "balanced Sauvignon, its grassy and figgy tones given structure by French oak". The Backsberg 2002 Cabernet Sauvignon too was praised as "a surprisingly fresh and supple red".
In his introduction to the special issue - which also includes 100 best wines and 100 best buys - editor Joshua Greene says that the wines and wineries selected is the distilled result of 8 800 wines tasted blind by "talented sommeliers and wine buyers, and then filtered again through our staff of critics".
A picture of winemaker Alicia Rechner accompanies the Backsberg commendation.
Backsberg John Martin Sauvignon Blanc sells for R45 from the winery.
More information:
Carina Rabie Tel 021-8755141
sales@backsberg.co.za
www.backsberg.co.za