De Grendel Scoops Green Award for Rubaiyat in Hong Kong International Wine & Spirits Competition
Bucking the trend of cancelled events in 2020, full results of the 12th Cathay Pacific Hong Kong International Wine & Spirit Competition (HK IWSC) were announced at a Gala Awards Ceremony on 11 November in Hong Kong. Announced by the Competition’s Founding Director, Debra Meiburg MW, De Grendel received one of only 115 gold medals along with one of only 13 green medals for its Bordeaux-style Red Blend Rubaiyat.
“Rubaiyat has become an iconic wine for De Grendel that continues to be both sought-after by wine lovers and collectors. For us, that is the ideal combination – customer appreciation and loyalty together with critical recognition – that tells us we’re getting it right,” said Charles Hopkins, Cellar Master at De Grendel.
The wine was named after the Rubaiyat of Omar Khayyam, the 10th century Persian poem held dear by Sir David, and so each vintage features a different quatrain from the poem and is composed of a quartet of varietals: Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot, Merlot and Cabernet Franc.
Matured in new French oak for 18 months, Rubaiyat is made for luscious elegance and smoothness, a fine balance of deep fruit and dry spice nuances, rewarding cellaring for 10 to 12 years with velvety texture and richness.
This year, 48 Hong Kong-based judges were charged with triple-blind tasting of entries, with an additional layer of “blindness” from judge to judge, due to strict distancing measures, including reducing the panel size and allocation of panels in several executive suites.
With high professionalism, the judges sip, debate and deliberate their way through thousands of glasses of samples to ensure an authentic pan-Asian voice on the very best international wines, sake, spirits and now beer for the Asian market.
Also see: Grilled Ribeye Steak with Café de Paris Sauce & De Grendel Rubaiyat Recipe