You may not agree with wine competitions or
guides. You may also, as we do, find them quite useful in gauging the current
status of the industry. This competition, run by Michael Fridjhon, allows the
media and the wine industry access to the judges - local and international - on
the last day, when judging is over, and we get to hear their unbiased opinions
of the entries they have tasted blind during the week. They do not know at this
stage which wines they tasted, these are only revealed on the day the awards
are presented, so hearing their opinions is always fascinating. And, some
years, it can be quite exciting...
We were bidden to arrive at the Grande Roche hotel
at 10am, when the last of the judging had just finished. On the last morning,
they taste the top scoring wines again and decide which are worthy of golds and
trophies. Here we see Christian Eedes, JD Pretorius and Trizanne Barnard
Snacks for those of us who got up too early or too late for a
proper breakfast
and more inducement in a glass of bubbles
Judges, still discussing the results while the
industry players and media arrive
The feedback session of the Old Mutual Trophy
Awards was opened by Michael Fridjhon
It is in its 15th year. This year, the
format of the feedback had changed. There would be opportunities for us to
interrogate the judges. They each spoke on the categories they tasted and Michael
directed specific questions to them
The judges for 2016 from left to Right: Christian
Eedes, François Rautenbach, Heidi Duminy CWM; Michel Bettane (France); convenor
Michael Fridjhon; Trizanne Barnard; Simon Tam (Hong Kong); Eric Goettelmann
(France) and Nkulu Mkhwanazi. JD Pretorius was absent from the feedback
session
1067 wines were judged; 509 bronze, 113 silver and 37 gold medals were awarded. There are 21 trophy-winning wines, and a total of 27 trophies will be awarded (including the Old Mutual Trophy for Best Red, Best White, International Judges’ Trophy, Discovery of the Show and Most Successful Producer)
Last year’s stats were: 1084 judged, 430 bronze, 88 silver, 27 gold medals; 17 trophy winning wines and 20 trophies awarded
For more information about the judges and the associate judges go to http://dogreatthings.co.za/trophywineshow/the-judges/
1067 wines were judged; 509 bronze, 113 silver and 37 gold medals were awarded. There are 21 trophy-winning wines, and a total of 27 trophies will be awarded (including the Old Mutual Trophy for Best Red, Best White, International Judges’ Trophy, Discovery of the Show and Most Successful Producer)
Last year’s stats were: 1084 judged, 430 bronze, 88 silver, 27 gold medals; 17 trophy winning wines and 20 trophies awarded
For more information about the judges and the associate judges go to http://dogreatthings.co.za/trophywineshow/the-judges/
The backroom staff, who make this competition work,
were thanked profusely for their hard and dedicated work. Michael said that there
is nothing to match the efficient and purity of the stewards’ wine delivery at
Grande Roche
Michael directed his first question to Michel Bettane,
who tasted the Pinotages
He was surprised to see many South African judges are
not keen on the varietal. Many were not well made 20 years ago; cleanliness and
Brettanomyces have to be fought. There are two different styles 1. more pinot
in character with floral red fruit and elegance and 2. more Mediterranean;
heavy, spicy, warm from the Cinsaut parent. He prefers the first style and
found a better balance in this class than in the Pinot noirs he tasted. And, he
says, they deserve to be at the same prices as Cabernets. He wants to see more
entries in the Riesling class please. We have a long tradition of sweet wines,
(there was only one dry Riesling entered) and our late harvest can be wonderful,
so can our Ports. One that can have a great future is our unfortified Muscats. Floral
flavours and those with noble rot. We will make some of the greatest dessert
wines in the world. Fortified is a simplification! Swartland is a very good
place for wine
Heidi Duminy
Nkulu Mkhwanazi
He tasted the Bordeaux blends, a big category in
South Africa. Oak is a big problem, as are positive and negative pyrazines. There
is a huge improvement; cleaner, less Brettanomyces, more fresh wines. Many
producers are still investing in oak rather than in vineyards. Less new oak is
needed. 3rd or 2nd fill, so the fruit can showcase itself. A few were elegant
and constrained and will last
Eric Goettelmann
He was last here in 2013. He tasted the
Burgundies: Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs There are diamonds, but raw diamonds.
What do we look for in Burgundy? It is finesse; there is not always elegance
and purity. Pinot Noir is the same, the level is not very high at the moment.
Terroir is important and we have a huge range of the grape, we need to be more
selective of clones. What does the customer want? We can give the
identification of terroir first, this special area is very important. Diamonds
are underground, we need to dig. New vs Old World. We are selling the varietal
rather than the area - wines like Montrachet are the branding example we need
to follow. When you buy a great Burgundy you are buying its origin and
appellation. We need to do more around establishing single appellations
Trizanne Barnard
White wines and Sauvignon Blancs. She commends
Sauvignon Blanc winemakers. Technically very sound this year, no pinking or
oxidation as weer evident last year. They have moved away from pyrazine green wines.
Some have popped up not perfectly ripe. Pristine wine with salt. At the next
level, we must be more creative with the wine. These are not a cash cow wines,
we can work at them. The wooded Sauvignon Blancs were stunning and the older
wines show how they can age. The white blends lack focus. Sauvignon Semillon
blends are working but the others seem just to be varietals put together
without focus. We must focus on what they are and what works
François Rautenbach
SA red wine styles and international requirements,
What are we expressing and are we getting it right? Red overview - the group
looks strong and exciting. International guests are looking for smart wines and
for character over quality because they expect that. Where are they from? They
are enthusiastic to send wines home and know that these will come of age and
not tire in five years. The wines must be able to develop and age when they
export them
Simon Tam gave us some important messages
What is the Eastern market’s expectation of SA wines? Simon certainly made everyone sit up and listen.
Lifestyle in the East is alive and well; It is a
young market, but wine is embraced ferociously. Asia is very big. China is a
large market, but very diverse. Wine is regarded as a good thing, it is a
luxury product, a reward for hard work. Only premium products and high price
points are important. Things here in SA are affordable, Get the money there,
charge more! We don't have a strong image, we are unknown, go and wave the
flag! Chenins are the single varietal with the most promise. No one else does
it. GO FOR IT. Don't sell your cash cow to Europe; sell the premium wines to
Asia. Launch there. Pricing and distribution needs to be arranged. They drink
lots of French but only 5 or 6 years old. This will change as they drink more
and learn more world wines. We have talent, we must believe it, we can do it. Low
prices do damage to our image
Christian Eedes
An overview
in 2016. SA wine quality has exploded in the period since the Trophy began and
the Trophy competition has helped by giving the industry an overview. The gap
between the quality of red and white wine is huge. Reds need to catch up with
whites. Over-oaking is a problem. And using the wrong oak as well as too much.
Bad winemaking, volatile acidity, and oxidation are still there. Chenins are
looking fantastic, we have made the varietal our own. Branding is very international,
it could come from anywhere. But Chenin is our recognisable label. Why not use
the name Steen again? We own it; are we compared to the Loire? We have
different styles, wines of origin. Some areas need to be split into wards
rather than large areas. The Hemel and Aarde guys are on track - Should it be
branded Hermanus because of the whales, which come up first on Google
Producers are lobbying the Wine of Origin board
to register Cape Town as a ward
Michael then spoke briefly about corked wines
If
three bottles of the same wine are corked, it is knocked out of the
competition. There was one which should have been a Trophy wine. Showier wines
with screw caps allow more edgy wines to shine. Cork affected wines this year
were a very small part; TCA affected wines are still an issue, but it is not
too significant
Questions from the floor
How did the Merlots
show? 50 entries, quality has edged up a level There is one gold medal. They
are less weedy or overdone. Now pure and more balanced
Shiraz? It is a victim of its own success. New
producers often have no idea of what they are doing
How much of SA wine industry is held back by our
own mindset? Simon Tam sees the beauty of the land, the great people, the
freshness of the food, the lifestyle. Talking to people, he says, it is an unmistakable,
uncompromising fact that we are up there with the rest of the world. Believe
it. Stop watching the depressing news and enjoy life and the wines. We have a
lovely package to offer
Heidi Duminy
Re emerging markets and
taking opportunities. We are pulling up rather than pushing up. It is a cut
throat market, wheeling and dealing in middle markets; beautiful wines get lost
in the scrum
Then it became exciting. The Question was: "Red blends, where would you view offspring?
Where do our strengths lie?
Michel
Bettane (from Bordeaux):
He has never believed
in 100% varietal wine, it’s not civilised. Begin with blending complimentary
wine to make better expressions of context. Don't extract, express it from a
great place. (He) likes blends, nature can be kind, we have made marriages i.e.
Bordeaux. Malbec needs to be used more as a blending wine, it warms the wine.
Look at Mediterranean blends, Languedoc and Spanish varieties, and Syrah is a
mountain wine grown in cool places; in warm places it is a bad one! Grenache,
Mourvedre are wonderful wines, suited to blends. The art of blending is
important. The same for white wines, Semillon - you can come back to the
expression of a place or winery. We need signatures which people will come back
to. We must build iconic wines and charge for them in the best restaurants;
people will come for them
The lively spirited riposte
came from Eric Goettelmann
(from Burgundy)
“I will defend Burgundy's single varietals. Terroir. It is normal to make blends with awful grapes while with just one grape and 100 different terroirs you can make 100 different wines. You can't see terroir. Pinot Noir is a cultivar and not a variety. The blend is made with the different clones. With Chardonnay there was always clone selection. Pinot Noir has some older varieties and the difference can be from 1 metre to 1 metre to 1 metre. In Burgundy, human factors are more important than natural”
“I will defend Burgundy's single varietals. Terroir. It is normal to make blends with awful grapes while with just one grape and 100 different terroirs you can make 100 different wines. You can't see terroir. Pinot Noir is a cultivar and not a variety. The blend is made with the different clones. With Chardonnay there was always clone selection. Pinot Noir has some older varieties and the difference can be from 1 metre to 1 metre to 1 metre. In Burgundy, human factors are more important than natural”
This could have gone back and forth for ages, but
Michael calmed it down and it ended almost amicably
Old
Mutual Trophy Wine Show Public Tasting - Cape Town
Date: Friday, 3 June 2016
Venue: CTICC (Ballroom, Level
1), Convention Square, 1 Lower Long Street, Cape Town
Time: 18h00 to 21h00
Parking: Secure underground parking available in CTICC
parkade
Old
Mutual Trophy Wine Show Public Tasting – Johannesburg
Date: Friday, 10 June
2016
Venue: Bill Gallagher Room (Level 2), Sandton Convention
Centre, Maude Street, Sandton
Time: 18h00 to 21h00
Parking: Secure underground parking available at the
convention centre and neighbouring shopping malls
Bookings and Tickets: Ticket sales via www.computicket.com from Tuesday, 3 May or call 0861 915 8000. Early Bird tickets cost R165 each
until Monday, 30 May. Thereafter and at the door, R190
Wines: The
results of the 2016 judging competition will be announced on 31st May, when the full list of winning wines will be available at www.trophywineshow.co.za or on the Old Mutual app from 15h30
©
John & Lynne Ford, Adamastor & Bacchus
