We love wine awards! But it’s not only our wines that have been deemed worthy of accolades, our wine label has also won an award. In 2005, our graphic design team at Haumann Smal Design Studio in Stellenbosch won the 2005 Fox Rivers Paper Wine Label of the World award for the Cederberg Cabernet Sauvignon 2002 label.

BUT ARE AWARDS REALLY IMPORTANT?

When a ‘less informed South African wine consumer’ looks at a bottle and sees an award sticker, they exclaim: ‘Look! A Veritas award!’. In real life, we’ve learnt, the award could have been won in any of the 20 national or 10 international competitions in which South African wine farms participate. As far as international consumers are concerned, they have no clue what a local – or even the international – award means.

Why are we (wine farms) then still doing it? Two reasons come to mind: to be acknowledged by our colleagues and peers, and to increase the marketing value of our wines.

At Cederberg Private Cellar we proudly participate in selected competitions, because we’re human and need a nod of approval every now and then.

HERE FOLLOWS:

- a short description of the wine competitions
Cederberg Private Cellar has entered, and

- the ratings Cederberg Private Cellar
received in these competitions.

THE COMPETITIONS

Who are the organisers and judges of the competitions? Well, every competition has its own set of rules. Different judges are allocated to various panels to judge the wines. Bear in mind that judges often come from diverse backgrounds and are usually guided by the chairman of a specific panel, which results is many different opinions.

Veritas Awards – National

This local competition was launched in 1991. A gap was left after the old South African regulatory system stopped awarding gold stickers as an indication of a quality wine. The regulatory sticker can be seen at the top end of the bottle and is referred to as the ‘bus ticket’. A golden bus ticket used to indicate quality. The new regulatory system, which was introduced in 1973, no longer included an indication of the wine’s quality.

Cederberg Private Cellar supports local competitions and we love the Veritas Awards. Our first wine was sent to Veritas in 1997 when David Nieuwoudt, then the ‘new’ winemaker, entered his first wines. Since 1997 until 2009 Cederberg has managed to win 7 Double Gold, 13 Gold, 25 Silver and 19 Bronze awards. For the purpose of this list, we only mentioning Silver, Gold and Double Gold awards.

Young Wine Show – National

Between 1978 and 2002 Cederberg Private Cellar has taken part in 19 Young Wine Shows. During these 14 years the farm managed to produce 6 Class winners and win 12 Gold awards, 33 Silver awards and 40 Bronze awards. Since 2002 Cederberg Private Cellar no longer takes part in this show, mainly because Cederberg is a ward with a unique terroir and does not fit into any region.

Terroir Awards – National

This competition started in 2006. In 2007 Cederberg Private Cellar won the award for the best Chenin blanc of the year with the Five Generations Chenin Blanc 2005. In 2008 the David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner Semillon 2007 won the award for the best Sémillon, as did the 2008 at the 2009 awards, as did the 2009 in the year 2010. We believe this competition has the right approach, awarding wines within the different local terroirs.

Wine Magazine – National

Since the origin of our local Wine magazine, we enjoyed taking part in the monthly ratings and ‘competitions’. Wine magazine is the only competition that costs us two bottles of wine per month and NOTHING more, and gives us good exposure to the wine-appreciating public. The wines get tasted by locals. For the purpose of the list below, we only mention 3-, 4- and 4,5-star ratings. In 2006 the magazine did some ‘research’ to see which farms were giving the well-known Stellenbosch wine area some competition. Cederberg Private Cellar was awarded fourth place in the wine industry. In 2007 Cederberg was again placed under the top 10 farms.

Platter’s SA Wine Guide – National

This award-winning guide was first published in 1980. Cederberg Private Cellar has religiously sent our wines to this ‘institution’ and we’re holding our breaths for the day when we get awarded 5 stars for one of our wines. We’ve had all possible star ratings, but for the purpose of this list, we only mention 4- and 4,5-star appraisals.  Platter’s SA Wine Guide is by far the most comprehensive annual wine guide in the world. The tastings for up to 4,5-star ratings are not done blind – only 5-star ratings are awarded through blind tastings.

Michelangelo International Wine Awards – International: National basis

This competition was started in 1997. The organisers invite a broad spectrum of international judges to do the tastings. Cederberg Private Cellar got its first recognition in 1999 when two wines, that we no longer make, won  awards: Cederberg Noble Late Harvest 1997 got a Silver and the barrel-fermented Chenin Blanc 1999 got a Gold award.

Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show – National

This competition started in 2002 and was previously known as the Fairbairn Capital South African Trophy Wine Show. In 2004 Cederberg Private Cellar shot to stardom when the Shiraz 2002 won the Best Red Wine award. In 2005 the name of the awards was changed to the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.

SAA Selections – National

Since 1986, SAA has been selecting their wine by holding a ‘tasting competition’ in the middle of the year. Wines that make it to the top will be drunk by First, Business and Economy class passengers on selected SAA flights and in SAA lounges all over the world. Every now and then Cederberg Private Cellar likes to enter this competition.

Decanter Wine Trophy – International: UK-based

The Decanter wine magazine (http://www.decanter.com) is based in the UK and distributed in 92 countries – more than 4 000 wines are tasted every year. Five years ago, David Nieuwoudt entered this competition for the first time. Cederberg Private Cellar started exporting to the UK market in 1998, the perfect move at the time. This competition awards wines within their country of origin: Bronze, Silver, Gold and a National Trophy. Once a wine wins a trophy in May, it is automatically entered for the International Trophy, which is announced in September every year. In his short winemaking history, David has managed five National trophies (2007, 2008 and 2009). In 2008 the Cederberg Shiraz 2006 was awarded the International Rhône Varietal Trophy (Over £10).

Wine Spectator Magazine – International: USA-based

The New York-based Wine Spectator magazine (www.winespectator.com) tastes more than 15 000 wines per year, has 2,5 million readers and has been in existence since 1977.  Every wine is given a score out of 100. Three of Cederberg Private Cellar’s wines have managed an ‘above 90’ score. They are the 2005, 2006 and 2007 Cape Winemakers Guild Teen die Hoog Shiraz. Please see the list below for scores above 80.

International Wine and Spirit Competition (IWSC)

According to the website (http://www.iwsc.net), this competition is London-based and includes wines, spirits and liqueurs – all blind-tasted in groups divided according to variety, region and vintage. Awards are made on a points system and sponsored trophies are presented in selected categories. Technical analyses are  carried out on wines, spirits and liqueurs that win Gold, Gold (Best in Class) and Silver (Best in Class) awards to ensure that all products are technically sound and will be of the same high quality when they reach the consumer as they were when the  judging panels originally tasted them. The competition was founded in 1969. More than 80 countries take part in this competition every year.

International Wine Challenge (IWC) – International: UK-based

This competition (http://www.internationalwinechallenge.com) originated in 1983. During 2010, 46 countries took part – including Japan, who entered sake. However, France again took the lead with 75 Gold medals.

Concours Mondial de Bruxelles

The competition was created by Louis Havaux, the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles was held for the very first time in April 1994 in Bruges.  Only 861 samples were then recorded (an exploit in itself considering that they were gathered in 2 months), the international dimension, with 29 participating countries, was set to continue.  The competition is open to all wines, special wines and mistelles (with the exception of table wines without geographic indication) and also to distilled spirits. A sample can be presented directly by the producer but also by an importer or distributor. The jury is composed solely of professional tasters, personalities and renowned experts in the field of wine: Oenologists, sommeliers, journalists, wine writers and international buyers and traders. Three medals are awarded, Grande Médaille d’Or(Grand Gold), Médaille d’Or(Gold) and Médaille d’Argent(Silver). 7000 wines are tastes annually from about 60 different countries.

Concours Mondial du Sauvignon

Organised jointly by the Bordeaux Supérieur growers’ organisation or ODG and the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. The competition was started in 2010 and is designed to promote good quality Sauvignon varietal wines and to boost production and sensible drinking of Sauvignon wines. More than 600 Sauvignon Blancs are tasted from 22 different producer countries. Three medals are awarded, Special Trophy, Gold and Silver  in three categories, namely Blends, Oaked- and Unoaked Sauvignons above and below €10 per bottle.

Top 100 SA Wines Challenge

Top 100 SA Wines is a local competition. The competition was started in 2011. Top 100 SA Wines is a premium brand based around SA’s finest wines. It features 100 winning wines from wines entered for the annual challenge. The sole aim is to assist the consumer by positioning SA’s finest wines with clarity, vigour and integrity. All wines are tasted twice, once as a bottled sample and once decanted, 10 hours aeration on reds and 3 hours on white. Potential winning wines are tasted a third and a fourth time. In certain instances wines may be tasted up to 6 times. In its first edition Cederberg Private Cellar had five wines in the top 100, the top producer at the challenge.

Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc Challenge

The Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc competition is organized by the Sauvignon Blanc association of South Africa. The objective of the awards is to identify and promote the country’s finest wines made from the Sauvignon Blanc variety in various styles. The competition takes place on a yearly bases, the wines are tasted blind and the ten top rated wines receives a Top 10 award. Since the start of the competition Cederberg Private Cellar has received a Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc award three times.

Awards won by Cederberg Private Cellar

This section is organised as follows:

Veritas awards: We only mention Silver, Gold and Double Gold awards.
Wine Magazine: We only mention 3-, 4- and 4,5-star ratings.
Platter’s SA Wine Guide: We only mention 4- and 4,5-star appraisals.
Wine Spectator Magazine: We list only scores above 80.

*This page was last updated on the 12th of April 2012.

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