Winemakers' Choice Awards to recognise individual talent

Now in its fourth year, the Winemakers' Choice Diamond Awards is an annual challenge for wines which are 'judged' by the assembled winemakers and not 'graded' and is the only awards system in South Africa to operate under these guidelines.

The panel of 25 selected winemakers who vie each year to be included in the judging process, carefully and rigorously taste each of the entered wines and through a series of discussions, eliminate those wines that do not meet the stringent requirements.

To make this process even fairer, the judges are precluded from handling the bottles and seeing the often unique tops of the bottles, so that each wine is judged on the merit of the grape itself - making this possibly the strictest judging process and most desirable to be adjudicated by.

"When wines are entered into an awards system the winners should be based on a general consensus identifying the best in category and not through a tallied score where there is very often a fine line between each level," says Robyn Patterson, managing director, Winemakers' Choice. "Judging is what Winemakers' Choice Diamond Awards focuses on and we believe can only be done through extensive discussions against all entries we receive, which sets us apart from any other awards system in South Africa."

Only the best in each of the categories are given honours with the overall winner, be it red or white, sweet or dry, awarded the prestigious Diamond Award.

Launching top honours for winemakers

Not forgetting the winemakers themselves, 2008 will mark the first time that recognition will be personally conferred on the winemaker. This is another first for Winemakers' Choice and for the wine industry, both locally and internationally.

For many years, chefs have been recognised for the sterling work they perform in their kitchens and when they leave to set-up other establishments, these awards generally follow them, making them, the chef, very marketable.

Consequently, as a mark of respect and recognition, a Diamond Award will now be awarded to the winemaker, whose wines have demonstrated overall superiority during the judging process. This is also a landmark and significantly important divergence from other wine events which often overlook the importance and skill of the winemaker whose hard work and dedication to the craft has contributed to the economic success of the wine. As only one winemaker can achieve only one Diamond Winemaker Award per year, this prestigious accolade will be a sought-after achievement by any winemaker.

It is hoped that with the inception of this specific award, the winemaking industry in South Africa will attract young blood to assist in developing new skills and winemaking techniques and open the doors to new talent that will continue to grow the industry itself for the benefit of all. And of course, recognising talented winemakers for their efforts and service they offer the industry.

The closing date for entries is 15 August 2008, and the Awards Dinner will take place on 17 September 2008 at Nooitgedacht Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. Cost per entry is R473.00 (excl VAT) and entry forms can be downloaded from www.winemakerschoice.co.za.