NEDERBURG RANKED BEST OF BEST IN SOUTHERN HEMISPHERE’S FIVE NATIONS CHALLENGE
Nederburg’s 2009 Eminence, a Private Bin wine made for sale exclusively on the Nederburg Auction, has been judged the wine of the show at the 2011 Five Nations Wine Challenge in Sydney. It also took the trophy for the top dessert wine on the show.
This is the first time a dessert wine has emerged as the judges’ favourite and, according to local panellist Michael Fridjhon, scores for the wine exhibited a level of consistency never seen before in the history of the competition. “It was out and out, everyone’s favourite.”
The 2008 vintage of Eminence also won gold in Sydney. Earlier this year, it earlier earned 96 points to take the trophy for the best unfortified dessert wine at the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show, and was one of the top ten wines in the 2011 Muscats du Monde in France.
Nederburg’s Eminence is a natural sweet wine, made entirely from hand-picked Muscat grapes, grown on the slopes of Simondium, with harvesters going through the vineyards several times to pick only fully ripened fruit.
Formerly the Tri Nations Wine Challenge, the new-format event assesses wines not only from South Africa, Australia and New Zealand, but now Chile and Argentina as well. The competition claims to be the only one of its kind worldwide in which wines are submitted exclusively by invitation.
In addition to South Africa’s Fridjhon, the judges were Huon Hooke from Australia, Bob Campbell MW from New Zealand, Fabrico Portelli of Argentina and Eduardo Brethauer of Chile.
Nederburg cellarmaster, Razvan Macici said the outcome of the competition was yet another testimony to the exceptional 2009 vintage.
“It is an enormous honour for us. With Eminence, we are seeking to express purity of fruit but all the while retaining the appropriate balance between residual sugar and fresh acidity.”
Macici added that in making the 2009 vintage, he used a technique learned in his early years as a winemaker, allowing partial fermentation on the skins to extract the maximum flavour. “It’s the first time I have followed this approach at Nederburg.
“What also makes us exceedingly proud is that South Africa as a country performed so well, earning more trophies than any other competing nation. It sends a very clear message internationally about South African winemaking standards.”
Nederburg was also judged the 2011 Winery of the Year by Platter’s South African Wine Guide.
DATE SEPTEMBER 12, 2011
ISSUED BY DKC (DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS)
FOR NEDERBURG WINES
QUERIES LYNETTE HARRIS, NEDERBURG GLOBAL MARKETING MANAGER (021) 809 7000 or 082 4170584
RAZVAN MACICI (021) 877 5151 or 082 785 4577
TESSA DE KOCK/MARLISE POTGIETER, DKC (021) 422 2690
Kind regards,
Sonja Bezuidenhout
DE KOCK COMMUNICATIONS
1st floor, Rozenhof Office Court
20 Kloof Street, Gardens
8001
Tel: (021) 422 2690 - Fax: (021) 422 2558 - Cell: 083 700 3078
