Sauvignon Blanc South Africa has revealed the winners of the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 competition and this year's champion wines come from no less than seven different regions.
This exciting result for South Africa's only competition exclusively devoted to Sauvignon Blanc was announced during a virtual awards event on Wednesday 14 October 2020.
In alphabetical order, this year's Top 10 are:
Alvi's Drift Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2020
Cilmor Limited Edition Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Diemersdal Winter Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Ghost Corner Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2018
Iona Elgin Highlands Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Ormonde Chip Off The Old Block Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Stark-Condé Round Mountain Sauvignon Blanc 2019
Stellenbosch Vineyards Southern View Sauvignon Blanc 2020
The Top 10 were drawn from a broad collection of entries, with 96 producers submitting 149 wines for the competition held with the support of FNB. A good balance was achieved with six of the winning wines from the 2019 vintage, three from the 2020 vintage, and one wine from 2018. Half of the Top 10 show a degree of oak contact that affirms the judges' opinion on the future potential for more wooded Sauvignon Blanc wines.
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"This year will be remembered as a time to stand together and everyone who entered can therefore rightly be proud of their achievement," said RJ Botha, Sauvignon Blanc SA's chairman. "In these challenging times, it is a privilege to be able to celebrate South African Sauvignon Blanc worldwide as our country's top seller. We see exciting innovation in style and flavour profiles, as well as diversity in origin with three Top 10 winners from Stellenbosch, two from Elgin, and one each from Breede River, Elim, Worcester, Durbanville and Darling. Congratulations to Diemersdal with their hat trick with the Winter Ferment – the only wine that has shone in the Top 10 for the last three years in a row. Many thanks to our platinum sponsor FNB for their understanding of our industry and their contribution to our success. ”
The judging panel comprised Dr Winifred Bowman, Cape Wine Master and convener of the panel, cellar master Charles Hopkins of De Grendel, wine judge and writer Fiona McDonald and winemaker Rüdger van Wyk of Stark-Condé Wines. The panel also included protégé judges, Candice Barnes from Boekenhoutskloof, Kelsey Shungking from De Grendel and Victoria Davis from Glenelly.
As part of this year’s competition, Sauvignon Blanc SA is requesting everyone to support the industry by making a contribution to the Vinpro Foundation in support of a student in the wine industry. For more details, visit www.sauvignonblanc.com/vinprofoundation.
Anyone can still view the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 virtual awards, with celebrity chef Zola Nene as master of ceremonies and master storyteller Nataniël as guest artist, at no cost at www.sauvignonblanc.com/top10awards.
Wine lovers can obtain the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 collection via the Wine of the Month Club, as well as at Wine Stellenbosch TOPS.
The annual Sauvignon Blanc SA Technical Seminar will be presented as vlogs on the Sauvignon Blanc SA website during November with speakers focusing on technical aspects, including information on the Top 10.
