South African Wine awards – Tim Atkin, Trophy Wine Awards & Absa Top 10 Pinotage Winners

What an eventful past two week’s in the South African Wine industry, with highlights being the Absa Top 10 Pinotage Winners, the Investec Trophy awards and then of course the release of MW Tim Atkin South African Wine report 2022.

The Trophy Wine Showbrought to them by Investec is South Africa’s premier wine competition, identifying the very best South African Wines, recognizing the achievements of the country’s winemakers, and honouring excellence in the wine industry. A competition that sifts (and sips) through close to 1000 wines to identify SA’s best.

The Pinotage Association organises the Absa Top 10 Pinotage competition for the advancement and promotion of wine made from Pinotage grapes. The aim of the annual competition is to identify ten Pinotage wines which will serve as benchmark for the development of distinctive South African Pinotage and illustrate the uniqueness of Pinotage in the international wine world.

Various promotional opportunities for the winning wines and their winemakers are available and media releases and advertorials are facilitated by the Pinotage Association during the six months
following the announcement of the results.

Tim Atkin (MW)released his 10th South African Special Report on Tuesday, 6 September with Chenin Blanc and Stellenbosch wines showing particularly well.

Tim contends the 2021 vintage could rank as one of the Cape’s best-ever vintages to date.

Overall, he was extremely impressed with the quality of what he tasted in 2022, especially from the 2017 and 2021 vintages. He is more convinced than ever that 2017 deserves its place among the best-ever Cape harvests, as good as and, in some cases, even better than 2015.

Stand-out categories amongst the top-scoring wines this year are not only Chenin and Shiraz/Syrah as in the recent past, he says, but also Bordeaux blends, Chardonnay, and Pinot Noir.

We are proud to have a range of these award-winning wines as part of our South African Wine portfolio.

Capensis Wines

Capensis Chardonnay Western Cape 2019 – 95 points MW Tim Atkin

Capensis Fijnbosch Single Vineyard Chardonnay Stellenbosch 2018 – 94 MW Tim Atkin

Capensis Silene Chardonnay Stellenbosch 2020 – 93 MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Wine Estate

Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage 2020 – 96 points MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Cabernet Sauvignon 2018 – 95 points MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Kadette Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Kadette Cape Blend 2020 – 91 points MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage 2020 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage Rosé 2022 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2019 – 98 points MW Tim Atkin

Kanonkop Pinotage 2020 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin, 2022 Absa Top 10 Pinotage Winner

Meerlust Wine Estate

Meerlust Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch 2018 – 91 points MW Tim Atkin

Meerlust Chardonnay Stellenbosch 2021 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin

Meerlust Merlot Stellenbosch 2018 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Meerlust Pinot Noir Stellenbosch 2021 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin

Meerlust Pinot Noir Stellenbosch 2020 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Meerlust Rubicon Stellenbosch 2018 – 95 points MW Tim Atkin

Rainbow’s End Wines

Rainbow’s End Cabernet Franc 2020 – 90 points MW Tim Atkin

Rainbow’s End Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin

Rainbow’s End Family Reserve 2019 Red – 91 points MW Tim Atkin

Rainbow’s End Limited Release Cabernet Franc Banghoek 2020 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin

Rainbow’s End Merlot Banghoek 2020 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin

Rainbow’s End Shiraz Banghoek 2020 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield Estate

Springfield Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2022 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield Méthode Ancienne Cabernet Sauvignon 2016 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield Méthode Ancienne Chardonnay Robertson 2019 – 93 points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield Miss Lucy Robertson 2022 – 90 points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield Pinot Noir Robertson 2020 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield Special Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2022 – 91points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield The Work of Time Robertson 2016 – 88 points MW Tim Atkin

Springfield Wild Yeast Chardonnay Robertson 2020 – 90 points MW Tim Atkin

Stellenrust Wines

Stellenrust 57 Barrel Fermented OVP Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2021 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin

Stellenrust Barrel Selection Cabernet Franc Stellenbosch 2019 – 88 points MW Tim Atkin

Stellenrust Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2022 – 90 points MW Tim Atkin

Stellenrust Chenin d’Muscat Noble Late Harvest Stellenbosch 2020 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin

Stellenrust Cornerstone Pinotage Stellenbosch 2020 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Stellenrust Cornerstone Pinotage Stellenbosch 2019 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Vondeling Wines

Vondeling Babiana Voor Paardeberg 2021 – 91 points MW Tim Atkin

Vondeling Barrel Selection Cabernet Sauvignon Voor Paardeberg 2019 – 87 points MW Tim Atkin

Vondeling Barrel Selection Merlot Voor Paardeberg 2019 – 88 points MW Tim Atkin

Vondeling Bowwood Pinotage Voor Paardeberg 2019 – 89 points MW Tim Atkin, 2022 Absa Top 10 Pinotage Winner

Vondeling Monsonia Voor Paardeberg 2018 – 90 points MW Tim Atkin

Warwick Wine Estate

Warwick Cabernet Franc Stellenbosch 2019 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin

Warwick Old Vine Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch 2021 – 93 points MW Tim Atkin

Warwick First Lady Pinotage 2019 – The Trophy Wine Show 98 points

Warwick Professor Black Pitch-Black Stellenbosch 2020 – 93 points MW Tim Atkin, The Trophy Wine Show 91 points

Warwick The Black Lady Cinsault Stellenbosch 2020 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Warwick The Blue Lady Cabernet Sauvignon Stellenbosch 2019 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin

Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay Stellenbosch 2021 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin, The Trophy Wine Show 85 points

Warwick Three Cape Ladies Stellenbosch 2020 – 92 points MW Tim Atkin

Warwick Trilogy Stellenbosch 2019 – 94 points MW Tim Atkin