Tuesday, June 17, 2025

Investec Trophy Wine Show Awards at Quoin Rock, Stellenbosch

 The Awards lunch was held at Quoin Rock wine estate in the shadow of the Simonsberg mountain, Stellenbosch



Opening address by the judging panel Chair Michael Fridjhon

The Awards ceremony format was changed this year and it was a great change
After a welcome drink and some canapés, we went straight in to the Awards after which lunch followed, uninterrupted




The audience sitting in comfort




The Trophies


Investec Stellenbosch manager Hugo van der Ahee
spoke about Investec's involvement in the wine industry

The dining area





Anthea Eedes presented the Harold Eedes Trophy for the best Chenin blanc
and told the audience about the origin of this tribute to her late husband, first editor of Wine Magazine




Kleine Zalze cellarmaster RJ Botha and Bennie Howard CWM

Gold medal winners

Bonnievale Limited Release Red Muscadel 2024 (Fortified Red Muscat)
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2021 (Port Style)
Cilmor Winemaker’s Selection Chenin Blanc 2024
De Grendel Op Die Berg Chardonnay 2024
Diemersdal Private Collection 2018 (Bordeaux-Style Red Blend)
Du Toitskloof Hanepoot Jerepigo 2021 (Fortified White Muscat)
Durbanville Hills The Tangram White Blend 2023 (Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend)
Graham Beck Artisan Collection Pinot Meunier 2022 (Cap Classique)
Groot Phesantekraal Syrah 2023
Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (Unwooded)
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Syrah 2021
Leeuwenkuil Reserve Chenin Blanc 2024strong>
Saronsberg Full Circle 2022 (Rhône-Style Red Blend)
Stellenzicht Tristone Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
Survivor Chenin Blanc 2024
Whalehaven Seascape Reserve Chardonnay 2022
Zevenwacht Estate Syrah 2022
Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2022 (Port Style)






 

The Trophy winners

Investec Trophy for South Africa’s Champion Winemaker of the Year
Hagen Viljoen of Zevenwacht Wine Estate

Business Day Trophy for Best Shiraz
Investec International Judges’ Trophy (joint winner)

Investec Trophy for Best Red Wine Overall
Stellenzicht Arenite Syrah 2023

Trophy for Best Chardonnay
Vinolok Trophy for Best Premium Wine

Investec Trophy for Best White Wine Overall
Delaire Graff Estate Banghoek Chardonnay 2023

Harold Eedes Trophy for Best Chenin Blanc
Rosa Kruger Trophy for Best Old Vine Wine
Zevenwacht Z Collection Chenin Blanc 2024

Financial Mail Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc Semillon Blend
Investec Trophy for Discovery of the Show – Best Value Gold Medallist
Cilmor Winemaker’s Selection Sauvignon Blanc Semillon 2024

Investec Trophy for Best Cabernet Sauvignon
Boschendal Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon 2021

Investec Trophy for Best Organic Wine
Stark-Condé Three Pines Syrah 2022

Investec Trophy for Best Rhône-Style Red Blend
Zevenwacht The Tin Mine Syrah Mourvèdre 2022

Trophy for Best Pinotage
Bellingham The Bernard Series Bush Vine Pinotage 2022

Investec International Judges’ Trophy (joint winner)
Groot Phesantekraal Syrah 2023

Sunday Times Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc
Diemersdal The Journal Sauvignon Blanc 2022

Investec Trophy for Best Merlot
Groote Post Merlot 2022

Investec Trophy for Best Niche White
De Krans Tritonia Verdelho 2023

Riedel Trophy for Best Bordeaux-Style Red Blend
Grand Plaisir Red 2020

Investec Trophy for Best Semillon
Constantia Uitsig Semillon 2024

Sowetan Trophy for Best Cap Classique
Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2019

Trophy for Best Unfortified Dessert Wine
Buitenverwachting 1769 Noble Late Harvest 2022

Tony Mossop Trophy for Best Cape Port
Delaire Graff Cape Vintage 2022

Trophy for Best Museum Class Chenin Blanc
Stellenrust 51 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2015

Trophy for Best Museum Class Sauvignon Blanc
Buitenverwachting Sauvignon Blanc Constantia 2017

Trophy for Best Museum Class Chardonnay
Journey’s End Destination Chardonnay 2016

Trophy for Best Museum Class Niche White
The Foundry Roussanne 2015

Trophy for Best Museum Class Cap Classique
JC Le Roux Scintilla 2015

Trophy for Best Museum Class Dessert Wine
Trophy for Best Museum Class Wine Overall
Nederburg Private Bin Eminence 2009 (Noble Late Harvest / Botrytis)





The peril of walking into an unsafe, unmarked glass door
Champion winemaker Hagen Viljoen of Zevenwacht bears the evidence
He won four trophies

The lunch menu

Salmon Gravadlax which had been torched, served with "coins" of rather sharp beetroot and crisp daikon radish








Very pink roast duck breast cooked on the crown, served with half a Boulangère potato stack,
topped with a very rich baba ghanoush, roasted tomatoes and torched baby corn and courgette
The duck sauce was delicious, the duck tender, but the skin needed crisping

Buitenverwachting cellarmaster Brad Paton brought us a bottle of his Award winning 1769 dessert wine
to pair with dessert

Delicious sunshine in a glass

A lemon Cream mould with a sharp citrus curd below, topped with a dried shard of meringue and almond 

"The Thinker" in the reflecting pool


The function venue reflects the clouds and the surrounding countryside

The public tasting of the award-winning wines took place next day in the CTICC


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Siris Vintners Trade Show 2025

 

The Roof Terrace venue in Salt River

Lourens van der Westhuizen with his Arendsig wines from Bonnievale
Laurens is consistent, he makes such good wines
We loved his classic and exciting 2024 Sauvignon Blanc, full of those green notes we love, full and layered
His Merlot really impressed. It's spicy, complex and has energy
Ripe berry fruit with good spice and wood on the end

His range of wines

It's a good venue which filled up quickly




Rob Boustred, Sales & Marketing Director and Jean Botha, Tasting room & Brand Manager
at Remhoogte Wine Estate, Stellenbosch
Their 2020 Aspect Merlot is spicy, juicy and full of complexity, a food wine

Fanus, Estelle and Martin Bruwer of Quando, Bonnievale
It was good to catch up. The floods last year affected the farm badly but they have recovered
The 2025 Sauvignon Blanc is crisp, with minerality
The Mourvèdre Rose 2025, just bottled, is golden, rosy and delicious
The 2022 Pinotage has Pinot character in front with lovely fruit, and dark licorice,
a bit Italian in style (as if Italy made Pinotage!) 

Bread with pesto and tomato concasse with mozzarella

Nico van der Merwe Wines
Lynne was tasting all the merlots on show. This 2021 was spicy with good wood, and sweet and sour berry flavours 

Their daughter with Nico and Petra van der Merwe


Bevan Newton Johnson
The 2023 Albarinho was powerful, crisp and different, so enjoyable with some salty minerality

The 2023 Southend Chardonnay is crisp with minerality and fullness of fruit, with well integrated wood
The 2023 Walker Bay Pinot Noir is intense on the floral, red berry nose and repeats on the excellent palate,
with long flavours of fruit; a food wine, scored high. We are fans

A great welcome from Peter and Nicholas Pentz, Groote Post, Darling
We only had time to taste their Estate Merlot which was exceptional, and classic,
it smells like a very good Merlot and tastes like one too
It has class, but it also has that necessary complexity of layers of good fruit and carefully balanced wood
So well made by Lukas Wentzel
It and their SeaSalter Sauvignon blanc (with the blue top) won Trophies at the Investec Trophy Wine Show

Tanya Reynolds and John Loubser with his Silverthorn Cap Classiques from Bonnievale
Lynne never can pick a favourite from these Cap Classiques, they are all so exceptional
We think John is a master of capturing the fruit in the bottle
This time it was the high scoring NV The Genie Brut Rosé, made from Shiraz,
full of glorious strawberry and raspberry fruit but bone dry,
and the River Dragon Brut made from Old vine Colombard, with its green nose, of crisp apple
which comes through on the crisp punchy palate with great mousse
The rest of his excellent Cap Classiques are made more traditionally, from Pinot noir and Chardonnay

Some brie to have with crackers

Marketing manager Wimpie Borman and winemaker Rudger van Wyk of Doolhof, Wellington. What a pair!
It will be interesting to see what Rudger, a former Young Winemaker of the Year, does there
The 2025 Mountain Range Chenin was crisp and true to varietal

We have some of the Bloedklip from the Limietberg Range in our cellar, waiting to see what it does

Vineyard manager Shane and General manager/winemaker Megan Mullis
of Domaine des Dieux , Hemel en Aarde Ridge with their new harvest

They had a very special 2011 Anna Louise Blanc de Blanc Cuvée for tasting on the stand and it was the talk of the room
Richness, seven year bottle age and depth in spades with a still very zingy mousse
We have the Gout Anglaise and love older bubbles 

Off to an early start (well, probably home to bath and bed!)



The Raats Dolomite Cabernet Franc is a favourite, it is perfumed with dark fruit and tobacco
Layers of red and dark berry fruit, umami, chalk, and minerality support . Another great food wine

The classic Old vine Chenin Blanc is elegant, and on the palate it's crisp and full, long and layered 

Sadly, we did not get to taste Groot Phesantekraal's wines

John has loved the Boschkloof Syrah, made by Jac Borman, since he enjoyed it with Jac at a trade show in the mid 90s
Now made by his son Reenen, it continues the family tradition

Mark Herd, Integretis Holdings, and food publicist Amanda Izak

Brookdale Wines were not tasted because we had just enjoyed a media lunch there

The Vriesenhof 2024 Unwooded Chardonnay was just what we were looking for. . 
Superb as always crisp, alluring and classic, full of beautiful Chardonnay golden flavours
We scored this very highly.  And we had an opportunity to taste a 12 year old vintage
It's still good, and has the same profile and depth with some soft aging
So many young Chardonnays are being over wooded again,
please stop putting them for 8 months into new oak, it ruins the wine
Did we learn nothing when Chardonnay was classed A B C a few years ago. (Anything But Chardonnay)

Clark Truter of Siris with Lynne

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