Diners Club introduced the Winemaker of the Year award in 1981 to encourage local winemakers to raise the standard of wines produced in South Africa. Seventeen years later the Young Winemaker of the Year award was established to encourage winemakers under the age of 30 to develop their skills, express their individuality, and add to the future prestige of South African wines internationally.
The competition is open to all in the South African wine industry at no cost, affording all winemakers a shot at the sought-after titles. While other awards focus on just the wine, the Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year awards celebrate the skills and talent of the vintners. The awards are presented to the winemakers who produce a wine that the judging panel considers to be the best in a specified class. The categories for 2018 are Chardonnay single varietal wines for Winemaker of the Year, and Red Wines of any varietal or blend for Young Winemaker of the Year. As in previous years, winemakers can be shortlisted for more than one submission.
The field was narrowed down to the 11 finalists over two days by a team of wine gurus, including renowned international judge Michael O’Connell. Judges examined each wine evaluating appearance, aroma, taste, aftertaste and overall impression.
The winners of both the Winemaker and the Young Winemaker of the Year awards will be presented at a black-tie gala dinner at La Residence Hotel in Franschhoek on 24 November. The winning winemaker receives R50,000 and the Young Winemaker R25,000. Both winemakers also receive two return air tickets on Delta Airlines to any wine producing region in the USA.
