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Archived: Spier wins third place at top international wine competition

Spier has scooped five gold medals and one great gold at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles 2010, tying for third place overall in the prestigious competition.  The awards this year included over 6,000 wines from four continents. South African wines won 25 of the 604 gold awards, and two of the 60 great golds, with Spier being the top performer in the country and third top performer in the world.

“We are delighted with the results and believe this is a great accolade for South African wines in general,” says Frans Smit, Spier’s Cellar Master.  “SA ranked sixth this year overall—impressive given that we submitted only 3% of the total samples.”

Spier 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:

• Spier Private Collection Chenin Blanc 2008 – great gold
• Spier Private Collection Chardonnay 2008 – gold
• Spier Private Collection Pinotage 2007 – gold
• Spier Private Collection Shiraz 2007 – gold
• Spier Creative Block 2 2009 – gold
• Savanha Naledi Cabernet Sauvignon 2007 – gold

“These results prove that South Africa can produce high-end, premium wines to an international standard,” says Smit.  “It is also testament to Spier’s distinctive winemaking style, which aims to balance old-world elegance with new-world fruit.

“Achieving a great gold for our Chenin Blanc is particularly exciting for us,” says Smit.  “We’ve placed a lot of emphasis on creating a distinctive, rich and complex wooded Chenin Blanc from vineyards aged 38- to 42-years. These vineyards produce berries with thicker skins, enabling us to create wines with better mouth feel and greater ageing potential.

“Concours Mondial’s great gold accolade for our Chenin shows that this varietal can be a top performer on the global stage.”