.: Amorim Cork MCC Challenge awards at The Twelve Apostles

Thursday, September 17, 2015

Amorim Cork MCC Challenge awards at The Twelve Apostles

The Amorim sponsored annual awards event, now in its 14th year, took place on the eve of Cape Wine at The Twelve Apostles Hotel. The awards are divided into four categories: Blanc de Blancs, Rosé, Blended Brut and a Museum Class for wines including and before the 2008 vintage. There is an overall winner, and the award this year went to Altydgedacht for their Blanc de Blanc MCC 2013. To promote inclusivity among producers, entries were open to non-members of the Cap Classique Producers Association. The competition was judged by Chairman Allan Mullins, writers Cathy Marston and Samarie Smith, sommelier and wine exporter David Clarke and critic Christian Eedes. Pearl Oliver, sommelier at the Belmond Mt Nelson Hotel, was an associate judge. All the wines are tasted blind and the judges do not know until the awards who the winners are. All the winning wines were served with canapes

The category winners were Blanc de Blanc: Altydgedacht for MCC 2013. Louisvale Wines from Stellenbosch took the Trophy for Best Rosé with the Louisvale Chardonnay/Pinot Noir Rosé n/v, while KWV – no stranger to Cap Classique Trophies, won Best Blended Brut for the 2010 Laborie MCC Brut, made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir

The Trophy for Best Museum Class Cap Classique, always an eagerly awaited award, went to Desiderius 2003, an icon wine of Distell’s Pongrácz label, which is a blend of Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. There were only 4 entries in this category this year which the judges and we agree is a pity, as our MCCs have shown great aging potential

Chairman of the judging panel Allan Mullins said that this year’s wines were remarkably consistent.

The Frans Malan Legacy trophy (now in its second year) was awarded this year to Achim von Arnim of Haute Cabrière & Pierre Jourdan sparkling wines, who had done so much for the Methode Cap Classique (MCC) class in this country, including suggesting the name when France refused to let us use the term Champagne

Achim looking suitably dazed, but delighted at his award

He made an amusing speech about his life making wine

Horst Frehse the General Manager of the 12 Apostles hotel chatting to Allan Mullins, the recipient of the award last year

Father and son. The Pierre Jourdan team from Haute Cabrière - Takuan von Arnim with his father Achim

PRO Emile Joubert acted as MC for the evening

António Rios de Amorim, CEO of Amorim Corks in Portugal came especially to present the awards

A very glamorous Christiane and Takuan von Arnim listening to the awards being announced

Etienne Louw, winemaker of Altydgedacht Estate, receives his award for the best wine on show. He also won the award for the best Blanc de Blanc.

The prize for the overall winner is a sword, which he is encouraged to use to perform sabrage on the MCC bottles at his winery

Here is Etienne Louw being taught to do Sabrage by expert Achim von Arnim. It was his first time. He was excellent at it and made a very quick and clean cut.