This year
The Trophy Wine Show Judges’ Feedback Session was in the form of a webcast, on
Thursday 16 June, from 11h00 – 12h00. The session took place directly after the
completion of the Trophy judging. While it would have been wonderful to meet
again in person with media and the wine industry, due to certain circumstances,
the judging took place in the week of the public holiday, and a live-streamed
event offers the best solution. The link to the webcast is here.
The
announcement in early April that The Trophy Wine Show and The Trophy Spirits
Show would be entering a new era with Investec as the title sponsor, has been
followed by the publication of the full list of international judges for both
competitions. This is the first time since the Covid lockdowns that each of the
judging panels at both competitions will include an international specialist
invited to South Africa specifically to participate in the competition.
As
previously – and in fact since 2002 - the wine judging panel was chaired by
South Africa’s most highly regarded wine authority, Michael Fridjhon. This year
the three international judges for The Trophy Wine Show were US wine authority,
Anthony Mueller, who covers the South African category for The Wine Advocate;
Eric Goettelmann, Meilleur Ouvrier de France Sommellerie and wine director for
the Bernard Loisseau Group, and Anthony Rose, wine correspondent for The
Independent and well-known wine writer and author.
The judging
panels have been expanded to allow judges to focus on their preferred fields of
expertise. The three international judges form part of a star-studded and
hugely experienced group whose local members include Heidi Duminy CWM and
Principal of the Cape Wine Academy; Tongai Joseph Dhafana, award-winning
Sommelier, now winemaker; JD Pretorius, cellarmaster at Warwick Wines; Patson
Mathonsi, Sommelier, and regional sales manager for Spier; François Rautenbach,
buyer for Singita’s Premier Direct wine progamme, Cathy van Zyl MW, Vice-Chair
of the Institute of Masters of Wine's education committee; Gynore Fredericks,
winemaker at Great Heart Wines and assistant winemaker at Mullineux and Leeu
Family Wines and Spencer Fondaumiere, Chairperson of the South African
Sommeliers’ Association.
The
international panel for The Trophy Spirits Show will benefit from the expertise
of George Harper, Master Blender for Roe & Co. Irish Whiskey and one of the
12 blenders responsible for all of Diageo’s Scotch (and Irish) Whisk(e)y
portfolio (the world’s largest whisky business). He will be joined by David T
Smith, undoubtedly the world’s most admired gin specialist, and Eric
Goettelmann, former chief sommelier for Paul Bocuse and Meilleur Ouvrier de
France Sommellerie.
Local
panelists – all specialists in the field which they have been selected to judge
– include Mare-Loe Prinsloo, Head of Research tasked with product development
at Distell; Kobus Gelderblom, brandy master; Neil Paterson, whisky maven and
owner of WhiskyBrother; Kurt Schlechter, award-winning bartender and drinks
consultant; Kresan Naidu, a white spirits (particularly gin and vodka) expert;
and Dave Gunns, whisky expert, retailer and educator.
The Trophy
Wine Show was designed two decades ago to help the Cape wine industry to
calibrate to the expectations of international markets and has played a key
role in driving innovation and transformation on the quality side of the
spectrum.
The more
recently launched Trophy Spirits Show seeks to identify the best spirits
available in and for the South African market, or produced in South Africa for
export, applying the tried and tested methodology of the Trophy Wine Show.
The results
of the 2022 Trophy Wine Show – brought to you by Investec - will be announced
on Wednesday 6th July at an in-person luncheon in Cape Town
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