The release of the Platter Wine Guide is a much looked forward to event in our year. It is our bible; we use it almost daily to check facts, get names, spelling and to plan visits to wine farms. And, of course, to investigate wines we want to buy. We always have one in the car and one on our desks. This year, we will now also have the digital version on our computers and our phones. This is available on the apps for iOS/Apple and Android, and on the website, www.wineonaplatter.com. This year's launch of the latest 2022 edition, with its refreshed, sharp corporate logo, was held at Kleine Zalze wine estate in Stellenbosch on a lovely early summer afternoon and they were also to reveal the recipients of its sought-after and esteemed pinnacle awards – the Wineries and Wines of the Year
It was so good to see so many of our friends in the wine industry; most were there to accept an award. Winemakers Paul Jordaan of Sadie Family Wines, Matt Day of Klein Constantia and Stephan Steyn of Buitenverwachting chatting to Lynne. There was much conversation about how we have all been surviving, working and avoiding or recovering from Covid and the awful shut down of the alcohol industry during lock down
Andrea
Mullineux, Duncan Savage, Greg de Bruyn CWM and Heidi Duminy CWM and head of the
Cape Wine Academy
Just the thing to get the day
started, Kleine Zalze 2013 Vintage Brut Cap Classique
Lots of joyous people, greeting
friends they hadn’t seen for quite a long time. Lockdown has kept us all apart
for too long
A quiet conversation under the
pergola outside the restaurant and the cellar
Esh Naidoo, Managing Director of
Diners Club SA, welcomed us. Diners Club began its association with Platter's
in 2013 because fine wine goes with fine dining! He welcomed all the wine
people to the event and asked us all to stress to the industries involved how
important it is to buy the stickers they have earned and to sell the Platter Guide
in their tasting rooms, if it is to survive. There is no charge to have an entry
in the Platter guide or the competition; the only income stream they have is
the sale of these items. And if we, the public, want it to continue, we also
need to support it by buying the guide
Five Star wines ready for
tasting
To view the list of Wines of the Year online, visit
www.wineonaplatter.com/blog/news
Some happy smiling faces amused
at the speech
Some were waiting in anticipation
RJ Botha, Kleine Zalze
cellarmaster. Kleine Zalze was chosen as last year’s Winery of the Year and he
said that it was logical for them to host this year's event on the farm. He told us that
Kleine Zalze has bought thousands of award seals for their wines and he
challenges any of the other wineries to beat their quantity. He said, "if you buy
wine, look for the Platter seals and know that the wine has been independently
judged and found to be good"
Philip van Zyl, Editor and acting
MD of Platter said, “The guide’s descriptions and ratings, compiled in
association with a team of leading experts, make it easy to find the right wine
for any occasion, while the good-value indicators highlight those bottlings
which are especially budget friendly across all quality levels"
“Red and white wines showing potential for cellaring” are flagged by means of the Cellar Worthy icon, while wines which the tasters feel are particularly worthy of note, being interesting, attractive, unique, representative of an important trend or simply extraordinarily drinkable, are highlighted with the Hidden Gems icon”. He said that it had been a very difficult time, especially last year, when they could not hold the launch publicly
and the colour this year is: Tuxedo black and gold!
Very elegant and the 42nd edition
of Platter’s 2022 hardcover is available from selected wine farms, bookstores
and retailers nationwide from the end of November 2021. The recommended retail
price will be R390. If you want to buy the digital version of Platter’s, it is
available on the apps for iOS/Apple and Android, and on the website,
www.wineonaplatter.com
Thought bubble: "Why am I
here? Have I won something?" Yes, that is why you are here!
Of the 5-star-awarded wines, the
top performers within each category receive the coveted accolade, Wines of the
Year
This time there are 28 category winning wines
KWV won top Port Style wine with
their NV Cape Tawny
Gottfried Mocke. The 2019 Boekenhoutskloof was
the top Cabernet Sauvignon of the year
and the 2018 Noble Late Harvest was also the top wine in its category
Matthew Day. Klein Constantia won
the top Natural Sweet Wine of the Year for the estate's Vin de Constance 2017
Top fortified Dessert wine was
Omstaan Wit Muskadel NV from Orange River Cellars, collected by cellarmaster Gert Visser
Top Méthode Cap Classique to
Graham Beck's 2015 Cuvee Clive, presented to Pierre de Klerk, winemaker
Chris and Andrea Mullineux were
awarded Top White Blend, Other, for the 2020 Old Vines White
Cape Point Vineyards was awarded
Top White Blend, Bordeaux for 2020 Isliedh, collected by Adriaan Jacobs, viticulturist
Gareth Robertson, Sales and
Marketing Manager, Anthonij Rupert Wines,
received Top Semillon for their 2020 Anthonij
Rupert Wyne Laing Groendruif
Stephan Steyn, assistant
winemaker, Buitenverwachting, received Top Sauvignon Blanc for the 2020 Hussey’s
Vlei
Donovan Rall of Rall Wines received the Top Grenache Blanc award for the Rall
2020
Naude Wines won Top Colombard for
the Langpad 2021
Paul Jordaan of Sadie Family
Wines collected the award for the Top Chenin Blanc for Mev. Kirsten 2018,
the Top
Red Blend, Shiraz based, for 2019 Columella and the Top Tinta Barocca for 2020
Treinspoor
Gerhard Smith and Carolyn Martin
of Creation Wines won the Top Chardonnay for The Art of Creation, 2020
Top Red Blend, Other went to Jos
van Wyk of Marianne Estate for 2018 Floreal
Beyerskloof won top Red Blend
with Pinotage for 2017 Beyerskloof Faith
Frans K Smit, Spier cellarmaster,
collected Top Red Blend, Cape Bordeaux
for the Spier Frans K. Smit CWG Auction
Selection 2018
Top Shiraz went to Reenen Borman
of Boschkloof for Boschkloof Epilogue 2019
Christopher Rawbone-Viljoen MD of
Oak Valley received the award for the Top Pinot Noir of the year,
the Oak
Valley 2018 South Ridge PN 777. All four of Oak Valley's Pinots received Five Stars
The top Pinotage of the year was
from False Bay Vineyards, The Last of the First, 2020
Rudi Schultz of Thelema produced
the Top Petit Verdot, the Thelema Mountain Vineyards Sutherland Reserve 2019
Stuart Downes collected the award
for the top Merlot for the Shannon Black 2017
Wemeen Nolte, Sales &
Marketing Manager at Stellenrust,
collected the award for the top Grenache
Noir, The ArtiSons Phantom 2019
Duncan Savage is definitely doing
something right. His Savage Wines Follow The Line 2020 was the Top Cinsault of
the year and his Savage Wines Not Tonight Josephine 2020 was the Top Vin de
Paille/Straw Wine. Duncan has seven Five Star wines this year; the other two received
4.5 stars! Lynne tasted the spicy, modern, fruity and exciting Grenache and
loved it
Gottfried Mocke of
Boekenhoutskloof took the award for the Top Cabernet Sauvignon with the
Boekenhoutskloof 2019
Sjaak Nelson of Jordan won the
award for the top Cabernet Franc with the 2019 Insiders Wine Club Private
Collection
Jolette Steyn, Head of Wine
Cellar’s Sales and Imports, received the Newcomer Winery of the Year Award
for
her The Vineyard Party Semillons
Frans K Smit of Spier collected
the Editor’s Award for the Winery of the Year
Paul Jordaan of Sadie Family
Wines with the award for the Top Performing Winery of the Year
with 3 top wines
and an incredible 10 Five Star wines this year
Then it was time to go and taste
the 5 star wines and seek out as many top wines as we could
It was a very good
year; we tasted some superb wines
A selection laid out for tasting
All top wines and all worth
buying
and a few more
And, thankfully, there was
something to eat as we tasted
These slices of focaccia topped with onion,
herbs, tomato and garlic were very welcome
as were these smoked salmon blinis
and the perfect finish was these
lovely moist Financiers with pear
A great match with Duncan Savage's Savage Wines Not Tonight Josephine 2020
Go and seek out your 2022 Platter
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It was accompanied by a baby chicken which was flamed at the table on a small hibachi grill. Very tender
