Groot Constantia – the oldest surviving wine producing farm in South Africa – walked away with several awards at the recent 2015 Taj Classic Wine Trophy awards, held in the Taj Cape Town’s new five-star banqueting venue, The Reserve at Taj Cape Town, on Friday 6th March 2015.
Groot Constantia’s 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, the newly released 2013 Pinotage and the newly released 2013 Merlot all received a coveted Bacchus Trophy. As a recent recipient of a 5 Star Platter Wine Award, the 2012 Cabernet Sauvignon, which is already sold out, is no stranger to accolades – whilst the 2013 Merlot is unique as a re-introduced vintage.
Groot Constantia’s wines are not alone in their Taj success. Boela Gerber, winemaker for Groot Constantia, also won an award as the Best Overall Performer.
“We are very excited and pleased to have won these awards in what is the first big competition of the year,” says Grant Newton, Marketing and Sales Manager for Groot Constantia. “These latest accolades prove that Groot Constantia is the leading red wine producer in the Constantia region and back up everything that we have been doing in the vineyards to produce premium, award winning wines. Our wines, which are exported, have become an international brand ambassador for South Africa.”
Groot Constantia’s wines continue to achieve outstanding results and in fact these latest accolades put the total number of awards won by Groot Constantia since 2003 at an impressive 85.
“Central to the success of Groot Constantia is its terroir, enabling it to consistently produce wines of impressive quality over the years. People and their influences come and go but the terroir has remained the same and has allowed Groot Constantia to produce wine of exceptional quality over centuries, even though major changes in wine styles have been introduced over time,” says Groot Constantia’s awarded winemaker, Boela Gerber.
About the Taj Awards
The Taj winning wines are selected by an experienced panel of international judges, who recognize, reward and promote the elegance, balance, finesse and ageability achieved by South African wines.
Wines are judged in panels of three, over three rounds, and are blind tasted to select a shortlist, which is then re-tasted blind by all judges in the Grand Finale. Only 20 wines received one of the coveted Bacchus trophies in what was the 17th annual Taj Awards.
The panel, under the auspices of Olivier Poels, editor and managing partner of La Revue du VIN de France and wine commentator for Europe 1 radio consisted of; Olivier Poussier, best sommelier in the world winner, wine consultant, writer and group sommelier of Lenôtre; Claude Gilois, well-known French wine writer, consultant and wine blogger; Thierry Germain proprietor of Domaine des Roches Neuves, Saumur; Christophe Durand, Taj Classic WineTrophy organizer and proprietor of Dorrance Wines; Tatiana Marcetteau, sommelier at the TAJ Cape Town; Stephane Duvernes, proprietor of wine distributor Les Chais St Laurent, Paris; Germain Lehodey, sommelier of Mosaic restaurant; Alsace and Cape wine producer, Julien Schaal; and Xavier Didier, former sommelier at Tantris, Munich; Jerome Faur, corporate sommelier Constance Hotels and Resorts, Mauritius; and Todd Ramsay from Marram wine Importers, Canada.
The oldest wine producing estate in South Africa
Groot Constantia is celebrating its 330th year of continuous wine production this year. With an uninterrupted record of wine production since its inception in 1685, Groot Constantia is South Africa’s oldest wine producing estate.
According to Jean Naudé, General Manager of Groot Constantia, this is an achievement that cannot be claimed by any other wine farm in South Africa – nor in the Southern Hemisphere. The Groot Constantia trademark is also one of the oldest surviving trademarks in the world today.
For more information visit www.grootconstantia.co.za.
Ends
Issued by Fusion Design Integrated Brand Agency on behalf of Groot Constantia
Contact: 0861 321 777
Email: carmen@fusiondesign.co.za