A SAUVIGNON BLANC PRODUCED BY CAPE TOWN’S ICONIC WINE ESTATE, GROOT CONSTANTIA, HAS JUST BEEN NAMED AS THE BEST IN THE WORLD.
Groot Constantia’s 2019 Sauvignon Blanc won the International Sauvignon Blanc Trophy at the 2020 International Wine Challenge (IWC) – one of the most prestigious competitions in the world which chooses the best wines from across the globe. This is the first time in ten years that the award for the best Sauvignon Blanc has not been won by either the Loire or New Zealand. The wine also won the Constantia Trophy.
This is not the first time that Groot Constantia’s Sauvignon Blanc has won these prominent awards at the IWC– in 2013 the Estates Sauvignon Blanc walked away with the South African White Trophy, the Constantia Trophy and the South African Sauvignon Blanc Trophy.
The International Wine Challenge assesses every wine ‘blind’ and judges each for its faithfulness to style, region and vintage. Each medal winning wine is tasted on at least three separate occasions by a minimum of 10 different judges – some of the world’s leading wine experts. To qualify for these international trophy’s the entrants all must have already achieved a Gold medal at the IWC Challenge. All Gold medal winners then go up against each other in another round of tasting by the judges to choose the Trophy winners.
“We are very excited about the IWC trophies for our Sauvignon Blanc,” says Boela Gerber, Winemaker for Groot Constantia and official Cape Wine Master. “The Constantia Valley has always produced beautiful Sauvignons and we put a lot of effort into these vineyards. It is a great award for all our efforts”.
Groot Constantia’s wines are no strangers to being named the best in the world and several years ago the Estates Chardonnay was judged as the Best In The World at the annual Chardonnay du Monde competition in France – beating over 800 other entrants from across the globe.
“History tends to repeat itself,” says Jean Naudé, CEO of Groot Constantia. “Over the 335 years that this farm has produced wines they have continued to garner respect throughout the world and bring home top accolades. The 2019 Sauvignon Blanc is part of that legacy.”
“This kind of achievement is not something that happened by luck, continues Naudé. “It comes after hard work over many years in the vineyards and cellar by various teams of people all making their contribution. It is the same discipline by which the Chardonnay 2013 was produced to achieve a similar award at Chardonnay de Monde in 2015. The same discipline resulted in us having 9 wines on the list of Top 100 Wines in South-Africa in 2020. We are extremely grateful for this as it comes at a difficult time for the South-African Wine Industry and we hope that this will bring more international focus to the general high quality of South-African Wine”.
The 2020 vintage of Groot Constantia’s Sauvignon Blanc is available to purchase from the Estate and selected retailers. “Whilst the winning 2019 vintage is sold out the 2020 vintage promises the same winning flavour profile as its predecessor, we are very excited about this wine,” concludes Naudé.
For more information visit www.grootconstantia.co.za or connect with Groot Constantia via social media on Twitter, Facebook and Instagram @GrootConstantia.
You can now also buy the world’s best Sauvignon Blanc online.
