Stellar performance makes Zandvliet the top estate at the 2024 Shiraz SA Challenge
08:39:00Zandvliet Wine Estate became the year’s most successful producer at the 2024 Shiraz SA Challenge with no less than two of its wines having been selected among the show’s Top 12 winners.
The achievement announced this week, once again underscores Zandlviet’s long-held reputation as the home of fine South African Shiraz.
The list of winners in this year’s championship was again replete with South African superstar wineries. Among them were the Zandvliet Kalkveld Shiraz 2020 and Zandvliet Hill of Enon Shiraz 2021.
Their achievement follows on the heels of equally outstanding performances in June with two consecutive vintages of the Kalkveld range winning Platinum medals at the 2024 National Wine Challenge and inclusion in the list of the year’s Top 100 South African Wines; and, the Hill of Enon Small Berry Pick 2021 scoring 94 points in the 2024 Prescient Shiraz Report by Winemag.co.za. The score placed the flagship wine in the competition’s Top 10 winners overall.
“Doing well at the Shiraz SA Challenge is always a highlight for us. The show is highly regarded by consumers as an authoritative guide to quality wine,” says Zandvliet winemaker Jacques Cilliers. “To have the judges agree with our assessment that Zandvliet terroir is truly something special, is very gratifying.”
“The accolades help to shine a light on Zandvliet’s upcoming half-century of Shiraz celebration next year, and of course, the annual Shiraz Day celebrations on August 21.”
For this year’s Shiraz SA Challenge, a distinguished panel of leading wine experts, led by De Grendel’s cellar master Charles Hopkins, again judged the entries. Joining Hopkins on the panel were Cape Wine
Master Bennie Howard, vice chairman of the SA National Wine Show Association; Heidi Kritzinger of Kanonkop Wine Estate; Nongcebo Langa, winemaker of Delheim Wines; RJ Botha, Cellar Master of Kleine Zalze; and Karabelo Masoleng of De Grendel as protégée.
In his judging report, Charles Hopkins noted the very high standard of entries this year and therefore the extremely high level of competition.
From the very first Shiraz wines produced at Zandvliet, it was clear the estate’s combination of diverse soils and ideal climate provided what has been called “an oenological treasure”. It was the beginning of a lifelong romance between Zandvliet and the Shiraz variety.
Hallmarks of every vintage have consistently been a conscious approach to winemaking underscored by hand selection, hand harvesting and the combination of respect for tradition and courageous experimentation.
At the heart of Zandvliet’s most outstanding vintages and its pursuit of perfectly balanced wine has been healthy fruit with good acidity and crucially, meticulous and judicious skin contact and use of oak.
Both the Kalkvled Shiraz and Hill of Enon Small Berry Pick wines take their name from the limestone-rich soils on the farm. The latter is however made from vineyards at the epicentre of the Enon conglomerate soils that occur on an elevated part of the property.
“These are truly the wines that demonstrate everything that a Shiraz can be,” says Jacques.
Both wines are available across the country as well as directly from the online shop, along with Zandvliet’s full portfolio, at https://tinyurl.com/37sfbnx9.
For more information, contact zandvliet@vanloveren.co.za or visit www.zandvliet.co.za. Find and share your memories of the estate with ZandvlietWine on X, Facebook, Instagram and, as ZandvlietWines, on Pinterest.
Issued by: ON THE MARQUE PR & COMMUNICATIONS
Pictures: SUPPLIED
© 2024 Herman Lintvelt - WineTourismZA
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