De Grendel Takes Home an Array of Awards in 2016

Last summer’s weather conditions did not look promising for this year’s vintages, but Charles Hopkins, cellarmaster at De Grendel, says the challenging conditions have resulted in some of the most interesting wines to come out of the estate for years. This, along with a consistent approach to quality and personality of the wines, has resulted in a number of accolades for De Grendel in 2016.

In September this year the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards celebrated its 20^th anniversary, and De Grendel won three awards. De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2016 won Silver, De Grendel Op Die Berg Chardonnay 2015 won Gold, and De Grendel Shiraz 2015 won Platinum. The Shiraz is particularly good because of the low rainfall and harsh conditions this year, says Hopkins, and it has been released for sale. The prize for the chardonnay also holds a special place in De Grendel’s heart, as it is one of the most competitive categories. “Its well-balanced medium body quality is really the result of intricate winemaking,” says Hopkins.

De Grendel’s flagship wine, the De Grendel Rubaiyat 2014, also received a gold award at the International Wine & Spirit Awards 2016. The Rubaiyat, a classic Bordeaux blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Merlot, is named after the classic collection of 1000 Persian love poems from the 10th century, written by Omar Khayyam and held dear by the late Sir David. Each vintage boasts a different quatrain from the poem on the label.

De Grendel also received a Double Gold for the De Grendel Shiraz 2015 and a Gold for the Shiraz 2014 at the Veritas Awards, the longest running and most prestigious wine and brandy competition in South Africa, dating back to 1991.

The De Grendel Sauvignon Blanc 2016 was also announced as one of the top 10 Sauvignon Blancs in South Africa for 2016 by the FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition, organised by the South African wine industry’s Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group (SBIG).  

To end off the 2016 award season, the De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2015 was named one of 2017’s best wines as part of Vivino’s annual Wine Style Awards. The Vivino 2017 Wine Style Awards name the top 10 highest-ranked wines across 147 wine style categories and less than one percent of all wineries listed on Vivino receive this ranking.

A list of all this year’s prize-winning De Grendel wines: