SA's Decanter World Wine Award wins

The 200 strong panel of judges, who included 75 Masters of Wine and 13 Master Sommeliers, tasted 14 362 wines from 52 countries.

Background to selection

• Wines are organised for tasting by country, region, colour, grape, style, vintage and price, to ensure that wines are judged in flights against their peers.
  
• Wines awarded Gold or Silver, are re-tasted by the Regional Chair for his or her confirmation.
  
• All Gold medal-winning wines within each region are divided into categories according to price (under or over £15) and style or grape variety.
  
• All Gold, Regional Trophy and International Trophy winning wines are tasted up to four times.
  
• All Regional Trophy winners are then split into categories according to grape variety or style. These wines then compete for the Exceptional Value International Trophies (under £15) and International Trophies (over £15) in a separate tasting judged by chairman, Steven Spurrier, guest vice-chair, Gerard Basset MS MW OBE, and three regional chairs - the top wines from each region being pitted against each other to win the DWWA's ultimate accolade.

KWV romps home

KWV delivered another glittering performance - its all-time best at the DWWA. Among the 18 medals and commendations handed to the Paarl-based wine and spirits producer, it had three trophies and six gold medals.

Responsible for the trophy haul was the Cathedral Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2012, which was named Best South African Sauvignon Blanc under £15; KWV The Mentors Cabernet Franc 2010 - Best South African Bordeaux varietal under £15; and KWV The Mentors Chardonnay 2012 - Best South African Chardonnay under £15.

The premium Mentors range, established in 2006 to showcase excellence of selected vineyards, was responsible for a total of 14 of the accolades collected by KWV at the Decanter Awards, including Gold for the KWV The Mentors Shiraz 2011 and the KWV The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2011.

Also among the gold medallists was the Classic Cape Tawny.

Sweet success

Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2011 clinched the Regional Trophy for the best SA sweet wine under £15. Showing remarkable consistency as one of South Africa's top dessert wines, it also won a Gold Outstanding medal at the 2012 International Wine & Spirit Competition in London and is the 6th consecutive vintage to achieve a 5-star rating from Platter's South African Wine Guide.

A gorgeous blend of Chenin Blanc (76%), Sauvignon Blanc (13%) and Chardonnay (11%), it has just been released and is available at selected fine dining establishments and boutique wine shops. The cellar door price at the Fine Wine Shop at Die Bergkelder is R119.

Superb Shiraz available for tasting

Hartenberg Shiraz 2009 won a Regional Gold medal, the latest in a long line of prestigious awards, after Syrah du Monde declared The Stork 2008 the winner in 2012. Wine lovers are welcome to come try the award winning Shiraz 2009 at the Feast of Shiraz and Charcuterie on Saturday 1 June 2013 at the estate, from noon until 5pm. Book online at www.webtickets.co.za.

Gold for Plaisir De Merle

Plaisir de Merle Sauvignon Blanc 2012 was awarded a Gold medal, while its debut Grand Brut 2010 MCC took Silver. The Plaisir de Merle Grand Brut MCC 2010 was made in the classic French tradition from two noble varieties, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. The Sauvignon Blanc 2012 sells for R90 from the cellar door and the Grand Brut 2010 MCC for R180.

For the full list of results, go to www.decanter.com/dwwa.