Cape Town, 03 October 2012: The
results of the 2012 Christian Eedes Chardonnay Report were revealed today at an
intimate gathering in Cape Town. The report, produced by emerging wine
commentator Christian Eedes in partnership with Sanlam Private Investments
(SPI), aims to celebrate South African
wines from this much loved varietal which Eedes describes as ‘the grape responsible for the greatest dry white wine in
the world, despite what Riesling lovers might like to think!’.
A panel of judges, led by Eedes,
scrutinised 60 carefully chosen Chardonnays in order to identify their top ten
and compile the in-depth report which is available online as a reference for
all wine lovers.
Eedes says the top ten Chardonnays for 2012 were nothing short
of world-class, and he is delighted with the broad range of styles coming
through in this year’s selection. "There were two 5-Star
wines in this year's report, each in a very distinct style. The Jordan Barrel
Fermented 2011 is for me archetypical Chardonnay - intense citrus, creamy
texture, bright acidity. Technically correct but not at all boring. The Uva
Mira Single Vineyard on the other hand is a bit more quirky with some more hard-to-describe
savoury flavours."
Alwyn van der
Merwe, director of investments at SPI, said that SPI’s involvement in the
report has been a happy and fruitful journey so far. “It is wonderful to see
Christian’s Chardonnay report gathering momentum year-on-year and we believe it
is carving a strong and important niche for itself on the annual wine calendar.”
He said that as an
investment house SPI always keeps a close eye on ‘passion investments’ - of
which wine is an important example – as an alternative investment option for
high net worth clients. “From an investors’ perspective, wine has a long legacy
of value and continues to be a passion investment option with strong appeal
globally. Although this upward trend is set to continue, I do offer a word of
caution. The wine market is still mostly unregulated and fraudsters have preyed
on eager wine investors in the past. I strongly advise potential investors to
speak to the experts, and consult references like the Christian Eedes Chardonnay
Report to help identify top quality South African wines.”
The Christian Eedes Top Ten Chardonnay wines for
2012 are:
Five stars
1.
Jordan
Barrel Fermented 2011
2.
Uva Mira
Single Vineyard 2011
Four and a
half stars
3.
Almenkerk
2011
4.
Hamilton
Russell Vineyards 2011
5.
Hartenberg
2010
6.
KWV The
Mentors 2011
7.
Radford
Dale 2011
8.
Sterhuis
Barrel Selection 2010
9.
Sumaridge
2010
10. Tokara Reserve Collection Walker Bay 2011
For further information, or to download the full report visit www.sanlamprivateinvestments.co.za or www.whatidranklastnight.co.za.
Ends
For further information contact Elysa Miller
on 021 469 1572/ 072 142 5159 or
Elysa@atmosphere.co.za
About Christian Eedes
Long-serving team member and
previous editor of Wine magazine, Christian Eedes is an acknowledged wine
expert and has extensive experience judging a number of high-profile wine competitions - including
the Veritas Awards, Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, Platter’s Wine Guide, and was
chairman of the panel for the 2011 FNB Sauvignon Blanc Top 10.
About Sanlam Private Investments
Part of
the Sanlam Group, Sanlam Private Investments (SPI) is an international,
holistic, integrated wealth management business that provides advice and
manages assets for high net worth private individuals and their families in
South Africa, the UK, Western Europe and Australia. 400 people across 23 international
offices oversee and administrate R120bn in assets under management for 30,000
clients. SPI has offices in Johannesburg, Pretoria, Durban, Claremont,
Tygervalley, Stellenbosch, George, Knysna and the UK.
