.: Veritas tasting at the Deloitte offices, V&A Waterfront

The tasting followed a few days after the presentation of the Veritas Awards
We attended to taste the winning wines, to see how they have progressed from year to year
It was a popular and busy tasting this year. There were some new surprises, good new finds
and yet the quality always seems to rise to the occasion, year after year

These are the wines we found to be good, without knowing, at the time of the rapid tasting, who had won
Some wines were marked, others not
The selection was huge and, despite minimising our socialising, we could not taste everything

Graham Beck cellarmaster Pierre de Klerk opening bottles of Cap Classique to get things going
They had two excellent Cap Classiques:

The 2019 Graham Beck Ultra Brut (it is; we love the lean clean style of both wines) and the exceptional 2018 Cuvée Clive
Both were awarded Double Gold medals

Also for tasting were several other well known marques

like the 2019 Villiera Monro Brut with its good mousse and fine fruit flavours from the Pinot noir and Chardonnay (Gold)

Veritas chair Bennie Howard CWM welcomed all the attendees

including Western Cape Premier Alan Winde

On to start the very busy and enormous wine tasting

In the popular Sauvignon Blanc category

we were very impressed by the 2024 Cederberg Ghost Corner (Double Gold)

with its great traditional Sauvignon Blanc green cat's pee notes on the nose and satisfying palate

The 2020 Cederberg Sauvignon Blanc (Gold) is similar but with deeper flavours on nose and palate

No Semillon added, but it has that complex layered palate

The wooded Cederberg Wild Ferment is more mellow with good flavours and no greenness. (Double Gold). The Diemersdal Horseshoes Sauvignon Blanc is a complex food wine and on many restaurant lists (Gold). The 2024 Groote Post Sea Salter SB is one we love and buy because of its good crisp flavours and minerality from their soils (Gold)

Very impressive was the very affordable 2025 Darling Cellars Signal Tower Sauvignon Blanc (Gold)

All these Sauvignon Blancs won gold medals

Semillon and (Impressive) White Blends

The Ghost Corner Semillon was, as expected, layered

with all the flavours and sophistication we expect from this wonderful blend (Double Gold)

Merwida's Papenkuils Pinot Grigio is juicy, crisp and exciting, an another food wine. A find (Double Gold). Bruce Jack's Viognier is the epitome of what one wants from a good Viognier,

complex, sunshine ripe fruit and lightly wooded (Double Gold)

Three White blends

2024 Ghost Corner The Bowline unwooded Sauvignon Blanc Semillon

was another really outstanding wine, layers of flavour (Double Gold)

2024 Spier Creative block also really impressed. (Gold)

The 2024 Blake's Tourmaline is wooded and layered and has a good future (Gold)

The Rosé category

Darling Cellars Pyjama Bush Rosé deservedly won a Double Gold for its 2025 blend of Sauvignon Blanc and Grenache

(another that we regularly buy)

Van Loveren won Double Gold with their consistent Daydream Chardonnay Pinot Noir blend

Avon from Daschbos Clairette Blanche has freshness and good fruit

On to the Chenin Blancs

Van Loveren deservedly won a Double Gold, so consistent

Breëland 2023 has a classy nose and is crisp and satisfying

The 2021 WIndmeul Chenin is good and full of ripe stone fruit, one we will buy (Gold)

Bellingham Homestead Old Orchid Chenin Blanc is wooded and won a Double Gold

as did The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc

Perdeberg Endura Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc and the Perdeberg The Dry Land Collection Courageous

Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc both impressed

Voor Paardeberg is a good place to grow Chenin. Both won Double Gold

L'Avenir Chenin Blanc has good fruit and the Kleine Zalze is nice and crisp (Gold) .

Spier 21 Gables continues on its upward path, it has such class and fruit on both nose and palate,
long and full flavours, creamy and crisp, with wood support. Double Gold
As did the Survivor Reserve Chenin Blanc

Then the Chardonnays

An interesting group, only one double gold for an unwooded wine

Hoopenberg Chardonnay, which we were not able to taste, all the rest single golds

2024 Spier Seaward has good minerality and layers of fine enjoyable flavours with some salt. Deservedly Gold

De Wetshof The Site is definitely a wine for food, clean and crisp with lime supported by good oak

Neil Ellis 2022 Chardonnay more fresh in style with length and layers, wood supporting. Both Gold

Some of the other Gold medal Chardonnays and some still sporting previous awards

On to the Reds

Cabernet Sauvignon which, sadly, we missed entirely, it was just becoming too late to taste

Three Double Golds to the Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon

Neil Ellis Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon and the

Villion Cabernet Sauvignon

Gold medals to all the rest
Merlots

The Meinert Ironveil is classy with dark oak and cherry berry fruit (Double Gold)
The Brink Pulpit Rock has sweet fruit (Gold)
and the 2022 Villiera Monro really impressed with incense wood on the nose, beautiful fruit and lots of quality (Double Gold)

Bordeaux blends

The 2022 Spier No.5 has a blockbuster nose, "Kom binne", so pretty
On the palate a juicy amalgam of red and black fruit, glorious - and this woke up our tired palates (Gold)
The Glen Carlou Grand Classique is a good wine for food (Gold)

Dornier won a Double Gold; we did not taste, sadly

The Buitenverwachting Christine is classy

with cherry, cassis on the nose, ripe sweet berry fruit in concert with wood and tannins (Gold)

The Simonsig Tiara is just classic in this style, will last and last (Gold)

The Delaire Graff has incense wood, dark chewy berry fruit, length and class (Gold)

Rhône Blends

Spier Creative block 3 was soft and spicy on the nose, long and full of fruit; it wakes up the palate and won Double Gold

Other Red Blends was the most rewarded category

The KWV Roodeberg Dr Charles Niehaus is a very good wine
with all the flavours and layers one wants from these popular blends. Deservedly a Double Gold
The KWV Roodeberg Reserve won Double Gold

and the KWV The Mentors Canvas 2021 and 2022 both won Double Gold
The Alto 1693 has red berry fruit with some black fruit and good integrated wood. Gold