Brussels wine competition awards South African estates

This year's annual award ceremony took place in Palermo, Sicily, from 23 - 25 April.

Spier tops

"We are delighted with the results and believe this is a great accolade for South African wines in general," says Frans Smit, Spier's cellarmaster. "SA ranked sixth this year overall, which is impressive given that we submitted only 3% of the total samples." It won four medals for its Private Collection range, one for its newly launched Creative Block range, and one for a wine made under the Savanha brand.

"These results prove that South Africa can produce high-end, premium wines to an international standard. It is also testament to our distinctive winemaking style, which aims to balance old-world elegance with new-world fruit.

Hartenberg triumphs

Hartenberg won a Gold medal for its 2009 Sauvignon Blanc. The wine, which impressed the international judges at this prestigious annual competition in Brussels, was crafted during the 2009 vintage, widely regarded as one of the best for the Sauvignon Blanc varietal in living memory.

The wine shows the full Sauvignon blanc gamut on the nose from intense grassy, green fig and asparagus to aromas of tropical fruit. Eight months on the lees lent great complexity to the palate with "a vibrant, racy entry that follows through to great mid-palate weight and fullness, ending in a long and creamy finish," says winemaker Carl Schultz.

It sells at the cellar door for R67 a bottle and is available at leading stores and fine restaurants.

See the full awards results here: http://www.concoursmondial.com/en/results-2.html