What an amazing inaugural clash for the South African industry!
This year was the first year this country’s most well-loved grapes threw down the gauntlet, in a friendly game of “show me what you got”. This dance-off was the first of its kind where every cultivar could show their diversity and uniqueness, and although a father is supposed to love all his children equally, there was the small matter of the best white and red wine.
The tasting was held at Bontevlei on the Annandale road just outside Stellenbosch. Some of the country’s best winemakers meticulously tasted the wines to make sure that they caught every nuance and character of the different incarnations of the varietals expressions.
This year, the red wine grapes were:
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- Merlot
- Pinotage
- Shiraz
The white wine grapes were:
- Chenin blanc
- Chardonnay
- Sauvignon blanc
There are more than 10 000 varieties of grapes in the world, so hats off to all those consumers who could make up their mind about what they prefer.
Because vineyards are only replaced every 15 years or later, there is no sharp change in wine production per cultivar from year to year, the change in production being mostly a result of the vintage. Over the most recent years, the hectares planted per cultivar, as a percentage of the total amount planted, have been fairly stable. The only variety that is in the top volume sector, that is not featured here, is Colombar.
The classes that could be entered were not limited to only making dry wines, there were classes for sparkling wines, sweet wines, and pink wines among others, allowing for every possible style that the winemaker could use to express the grape’s terroir the best.
Awards garnered
Wines could only be awarded gold and Double Gold awards, and they were achieved as follows:
Double Gold: 90+
Gold Award: 85-89
Our esteemed judges
All the judges were winemakers, and were chosen for their passion for the cultivars. Although each judge might have their personal favourite, they were asked to judge each wine on merit, within the category that they entered. The judges were as follows:
Results of the tasting
From the results, it can be seen that the judges had very high standards.
The results of the white wine cultivars were as follows:
| Wine | Award |
|---|---|
| DeMorgenzon - DMZ Chardonnay 2023 | Double Gold |
| Louisvale Wines - Louisvale Chardonnay 2023 | Double Gold |
| Goedverwacht Wine Estate - Maxim Chardonnay 2024 | Gold |
| Rietvallei Wine Estate - Rietvallei Calcrete Chardonnay 2024 | Gold |
| DeMorgenzon - DMZ Chenin Blanc 2023 | Gold |
| Ken Forrester Wines - The FMC 2023 | Gold |
| Walker Bay Vineyards - Walker Bay Vineyards Chardonnay 2022 | Gold |
The wonderful thing about having so many independent judges, is that there is a wonderful array of opinions. We asked the judges what they think are the white cultivars that are trending now and why, and the results are as follows:
- Sauvignon blanc – fresh, crisp, and goes well with food.
- Chardonnay – Acidity of Sauvignon blanc and the resulting imbalance, have prompted a shift away from Sauvignon blanc
- Chenin blanc, because of the Old Vine project initiative. Winemakers are now producing age worthy wines.
- Unwooded Chardonnay, less acid, more options and drinkability. Focus on fruit preservation.
- Chenin blanc, consumers are driven to fruit-forward, less acidic wines.
The results of the red wine cultivars were as follows:
| Wine | Award |
|---|---|
| Glen Carlou - Glen Carlou Merlot 2023 | Double Gold |
| Stellenbosch Family Wines - Carlo Pinotage 2022 | Gold |
| Walker Bay Vineyards - Walker Bay Vineyards Syrah 2022 | Gold |
| Silkbush Mountain Vineyards - Silkbush Shiraz Winemakers Selection 2023 | Gold |
The honour of the Top performing red wine went to Glen Carlou, for their 2023 Merlot.
The top-performing white wine, and top-performing wine of the event, was the Louisvale Chardonnay 2023.
We asked the judges what red wine cultivars they think are trending currently and why, and here are the results:
- Syrah, juicy, lots of red fruit. Very approachable.
- Merlot – the consumer is expecting, and preferring more refined, red wines that are easy to drink.
- Cinsaut/Grenache. Consumers tend to favour lighter style wines, Cabernet franc – something else than Cabernet Sauvignon.
- Pinot Noir, and Shiraz.
We also asked the judges where they see room for innovation among individual cultivars, and here are some of the answers:
- Pinotage – style can shift to be more well-balanced, and lighter style.
- Lower alcohol wines, and the quest to find the right balance with these styles.
- Focus on terroir – like Calcrete Chardonnay (mentioned by two people). Make and recognize small parcels.
Conclusion
This first year was a huge success, and judging by the enthusiasm from the industry and the participants, this event will grow from strength to strength in the future. Some categories were extremely underrepresented, but hopefully that will change in the future. This year was hopefully a seed, that will grow into a majestic tree.
Details of the 2025 event will be available in January 2025, and you can contact Sanet van Heerden at hello@clashofthecultivars.com or phone her on 084 446 0412 for more information.
