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All Systems Go For 2012`s ABSA Top 10 Pinotage Competition
The ABSA Top 10 Pinotage Competition has attracted 132 entries this year, an indication of the growing popularity in consumption, and the importance Pinotage winemakers place on this competition. The competition, which has attracted 14 more entries this year, began in 1997, aimed at increasing the awareness of Pinotage and to encourage wine-making excellence in this South African variety
According to Beyers Truter, Chairman of the SA Pinotage Association which organises the competition in conjunction with lead sponsor ABSA, the increase in entries reflects the growing interest among wine-makers to offer their personal stylistic interpretations of Pinotage for judging, as well as the status of the ABSA Top 10 as the leading single cultivar-based competition in the South African wine industry.
“Today we are able to say that the birth of the ABSA Top 10 Competition in 1997 was a key moment in the history of Pinotage,” says Truter. “The competition’s inclusive nature, where 10 wines are each awarded with a trophy for excellence, has been welcomed by the Pinotage brotherhood. On the commercial front, the ABSA Top 10 has contributed to great awareness – not only of Pinotage as a uniquely beautiful wine, but of the commitment to quality displayed by producers in terms of wine-making and viticulture practices.
“And for the producers whose wines are included in the Top 10 winners, the competition definitely gives their respective brands a marketing push.”
Judging for this year’s ABSA Top 10 will take place from 11 to 13 July at Nederburg. The judging panel is made up of Duimpie Bayly, convenor; Anthony Hamilton Russell, proprietor of Hamilton Russell Vineyards; Miguel Chan, sommelier; winemakers Gideon Theron (Lutzville), Fred Viljoen (Viljoensdrift), Samantha De Morney-Hughes (Vergelegen) and international wine judge and wine writer Neil Pendock.
The Absa Top 10 will be announced at Webersburg on 31 August.
