Badsberg Cellar honoured at the 2014 Muskadel SA awards

Badsberg Cellar was crowned king of the Muscadel kingdom at the 12th annual 2014 Muskadel SA awards function, sponsored by Enartis SA and hosted on 22 May at Noop Restaurant in Paarl.  Out of 25  entries, the 2013 Badsberg Red Muscadel won the only platinum award.

‘We are very proud to be associated with Muskadel SA and to have won this prestigious award, as this noble cultivar is one of our flagship wines,’ says Willie Burger, cellar master at Badsberg Wine Cellar.

‘Our Red Muscadel have been a huge success, and is well-known for its quality, eversince we started producing the wine in 2003. We have won several gold medals for this cultivar, including Muskadel SA, Veritas and Michelangelo, but this is the first time we have been honoured with a Platinum award.  We are very proud and it will certainly help strenghen and re-assure our position in a very competative market.

Burger continues to thank his dedicated wine making team, Henri Swiegers and Jaco Booysen, as well as Wyserdrif Farming where the Muscadel grapes are grown.

Other winners
Other winners from the Breede River Valley are Nuy Cellar with two gold awards for their 2013 Rooi and 2013 Wit Muskadel, while Bon Courage won gold for their 2013 Red Muscadel.

Orange River Cellars built on their 2013 Muskadel SA success by winning gold medal for their 2013 White Muscadel.

KWV won gold with a very special entry - a 1968 White Muscadel Jerepigo.

According to Henri Swiegers, chairperson of Muskadel SA the 2013 harvest year were exceptionally dry, thus high sugar levels resultant.  This led to rich raison flavours and delightful, full bodied muscat aromas.

Judging
Tasted blind, the wines are judged and scored according to a tried and tested points system.  The uniqueness of the packaging also contributes to the final points tally and often means the difference between a gold or platinum award. Consumers can identify winning Muscats by the Gold or Platinum Muskadel SA stickers on the bottle.

Lolly Louwrens, a judge at this year’s Muskadel SA awards says: ‘2013 saw superb wines and delivered great quality Muscats.  It was also elating to witness fine aging in the 1968 KWV White Muscadel Jerepigo, just proof once again that our country delivers top class fortified wines.’

Sponsorship
‘Enartis South Africa is proud to sponsor the Muscadel Association for the seventh year and wants to congratulate the winners,’ says Murray Giggins, CEO/General Manager of Enartis South Africa.  “This long association confirms our commitment to Muscadel producers.  As a dedicated supplier of speciality wine chemicals, Enartis is focused on ensuring winemakers achieve superior end product quality.”

Winemakers know they can rely on the global knowledge gained from the extensive reach of the Enartis brand and people, who provide products of international repute and applications that can be relied upon vintage after vintage says Giggins.

For more information contact Henri Swiegers at 082 829 6010 or winemaker@badsberg.co.za