Winemaker of the Year finalists announced
The finalists of the Diners Club Winemaker of the Year 2014 have been announced as: Jacques Erasmus (Spier Wines), Alicia Rechner (Backsberg Estate Cellars), Alvi van der Merwe (Alvi's Drift Private Cellar), and Bryan MacRobert (The Hughes Family Wines).
Both Erasmus and Van der Merwe have been nominated for two of their wines - the Spier Creative Block 2 2014 and 2013, and the Alvi's Drift AD CVC 2011 and 2012, respectively.
This year's category for the Winemaker of the Year is Dry White Wine Blends and the winner will be announced at a black tie gala dinner at the La Residence Hotel in Franschhoek on 15 November, 2014.
Announcing the names of the finalists, Ebrahim Matthews, MD of Diners Club South Africa, said: "Diners Club introduced the Winemaker of the Year Awards in 1981 to encourage local winemakers to raise the standard of wines produced in South Africa. In addition to the title and the trophy, the Winemaker of the Year receives two return tickets to the US, sponsored by Delta Airlines, plus R50 000.
All about quality
Dave Hughes, chairman of the judging panel added: "With two finalists being nominated twice, we have an excellent indication of their consistency as winemakers. The Diners Club Winemaker of the Year competition is all about quality, and this award assures the winemaker's career."
The international judge on this year's panel, Beatriz Machado, was also impressed with the quality of the white wines. "It was fascinating to experience the maturity of the winemakers as well as the world-class wines that they are producing," she said. "Over the judging period I was exposed to so many white wines. The experience has demystified my preconceived ideas about South African wines.
"A winning wine must be like a perfect orchestra," she added. "Nothing must stand out, it must be clean, without fault, complex on the nose with at least four specific descriptors, the balance between acidity and bitterness must be good and the aftertaste must linger."
