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De Grendel Walks Away Proudly at the 2018 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show

De Grendel is proud to announce that we received 2 amazing awards from the 2018 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show that took place this week. The De Grendel Amandelboord Pinotage 2016 won the Best Pinotage Trophy while the De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2017 won a Gold medal. De Grendel placed second in the competition overall.

De Grendel Wines Amandelboord Pinotage Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2018

De Grendel winemaker, Charles Hopkins, is incredibly proud of this win as this is only our 2nd vintage of Pinotage at De Grendel. “The block of Pinotage grapes from De Grendel is quite old, about 14 years old,” he explains. “In the past, we used the grapes for Rosé but realised the potential in the quality of the grapes and decided to produce a Pinotage instead.” De Grendel now farms it with a reduced crop and much more meticulously, even taking a bit of juice out of the tank to reduce the skin to juice ratio. The Pinotage is matured in 2nd and 3rd fill barrels as well as approximately 10% new oak barrels.

“The wine is very true; cold and airy with flavours of banana, supported by blackberry flavours at the back,” says Charles. “This is definitely a very interesting wine, especially for people who don’t usually drink Pinotage.”

The De Grendel Koetshuis is made in the style of ripe pyrazines with 18% oak fermented Sauvignon Blanc in the blend. An interesting debate exists in the industry about what the most sought after Sauvignon Blanc style is and this is an indication that it is still a very prominent style; and not only in SA, as the international judges on the panel indicate.

De Grendel Wines Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2018

Of the 977 wines judged, 40 gold medals and 23 trophies were awarded for Best in Class, including the coveted Most Successful Producer of the Show.

Sometimes, the outcome of a major wine judging event such as the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show achieves an almost magical quality. The panels deliberate for several days, identifying the best wines across 20 or 30 classes, sifting their way through 1000s of wines, seeking the very best, but also alert to changing styles and different aesthetic statements. Finally, all this effort comes together at the trophy judging, where only the gold medal winners are once again put through the mill in order to identify the “Best in Class” and “Best on Show”.

“All serious wine competitions are expected to prove their credentials by including in their line-up of winners producers who would be regarded as the 'top seeds'. They are also expected to act as ‘talent scouts’ identifying – ahead of the market – cellars yet to become mainstream, or changes brought about when leading wine makers change their place of employment. The results of the 2018 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show fit this format pretty much to perfection: the overlap between the names of the top cellars this year with those of the past couple of vintages, the aesthetic message of the winning wines, the new stars sharing the podium with a host of familiar players – all these are gratifying signs that the judges, local and international, have produced a credible and coherent set of results upon which the wine-drinking public can rely with confidence," Michael Fridjhon concluded. 

De Grendel Wines Amandelboord Pinotage Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show 2018

“We are proud to shine a spotlight on South Africa’s best wines through the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show,” says Thobile Tshabalala, Head of Brand at Old Mutual Emerging Markets. 

“At Old Mutual, we understand the importance of dedication, knowledge and experience in delivering your exceptional best,” Thobile explains. “Our sponsorship not only celebrates fine wines but also plays an important role in skills development for the wine industry. As such, our aim is to benchmark excellence in the South African wine industry and to connect with that segment of our customer base that appreciates fine wine.”

A countrywide roadshow will follow immediately after the results are announced.  The Cape Town Public Tasting takes place on Wednesday 13 June at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (17h00 –21h00) and on Friday 15 June in Johannesburg at the Sandton Convention Centre. No fewer than 170 trophy, gold and silver medal-winning wines will be presented for tasting and to order via Makro’s pop-up stores. Tickets are available via Computicket at www.computicket.com and cost R200.

June 04, 2018