A prestigious honor has been bestowed upon Wellington Wines as their wooded Cabernet Sauvignon emerged triumphant, securing the esteemed General Smuts Trophy and being crowned the overall SA Champion Wine of 2023. This achievement followed its recognition as the finest wooded Cabernet Sauvignon in the country at the SA Young Wine Show.
In a remarkable display of excellence, Wellington Wines had previously clinched the General Smuts Trophy in 2018 for a wooded Pinotage. This year, they achieved a dual victory by also capturing the coveted Pietman Hugo Trophy.
Organized annually for wines of the current vintage year, the event is presented by the SA National Wine Show Association (SANWSA) in partnership with Agri-Expo.
It’s worth noting that the General Smuts Trophy hadn’t been awarded to a Cabernet Sauvignon in 27 years, dating back to 1996. This marks the sixth instance in the 191-year history of the competition, the world’s oldest of its kind, where a Cabernet Sauvignon has claimed this prestigious accolade, making it the 72nd recipient. The last instances were Wildekrans Estate in 1996, Muratie Estate in 1995, JP Bredell Wines in 1993, Saxenburg Estate in 1991, and Klein Constantia Estate in 1988.
The unveiling of the competition’s impressive collection of trophies occurred at a prestigious dinner hosted by the Paarl Young Wine Show. The event showcased a total of 44 wines achieving Class Winner status and 79 wines securing Gold Medals.
In recognition of their exceptional achievements, Wellington Wines was also honored with the Pietman Hugo Trophy, presented to the winery with the highest cumulative score for its top five wines. This was a first-time triumph for Wellington, having previously shared the trophy with Robertson Cellar in 2020.
This remarkable accomplishment makes Wellington Wines just the fourth winery to secure these two trophies concurrently since the inception of the Pietman Hugo Trophy in 1994. The General Smuts Trophy, instituted in 1952, has seen this dual victory achieved by only Badsberg in 2009 and 2016, KWV in 2015, and Namaqua Wines in 2017.
The increased number of entries this year compared to the previous year indicates a renewed momentum for the country’s oldest wine show. Despite challenges posed by inclement weather during the latter stages of harvest, the judges were highly impressed by the quality of the 2023 wines.
Evaluation of this year’s 1,250 entries was carried out by 65 specialized judges across 14 panels. The evaluation took place over five days in June at the Johann Graue Hall at Nederburg in Paarl. Subsequently, winners were announced in 16 classes, along with the recipients of the Best Wine and Best Producer trophies.
A unique bottle sticker, introduced in 2013, now adorns the bottles of the General Smuts Trophy winner, proudly showcasing the ultimate wine in the market. This has led to more trophy-winning wines being bottled as standalone entities in recent years, preserving their individuality.
In addition to the General Smuts and Pietman Hugo Trophies, Wellington Wines achieved an impressive feat by securing four Champion Red Wine awards: SA Champion Cabernet Sauvignon (wooded), Pinotage (wooded), Shiraz (unwooded), and Merlot (unwooded).
Van Loveren Family Vineyards stood out as the sole cellar to claim two champion wines:
- Other White Cultivar: Van Loveren Colombar
- White Blend: Van Loveren Sauvignon Blanc/Colombar
The remaining SA Champions were as follows:
- Sauvignon Blanc: Nabygelegen Private Cellar Sauvignon Blanc
- Chardonnay: Robertson Cellar Chardonnay (wooded)
- Chenin Blanc: Badsberg Cellar Chenin Blanc (wooded)
- Sémillon: La Motte Wine Estate Sémillon
- Natural Sweet: OWK Keimoes Natural Sweet White Wine
- Other Red Cultivar: Perdeberg Wines Grenache Noir
- Red Blend: Spier Wines Shiraz/Pinotage (wooded)
- Dessert Wine: Clairvaux Cellar Hanepoot Jerepigo
- Muscadel: Montagu Wine Cellar Red Muscadel Jerepigo
- Cape Style: De Krans Wines Any Other Cape Style/Blend
Paarl emerged as the leading wine region, claiming seven National Trophies, followed by Robertson with four, Klein Karoo and Stellenbosch with two each, and Breedekloof and Orange River with one each.
Christo Pienaar, the chairperson of the SA Young Wine Show, expressed his admiration for the impressive quality of the young wines this year, despite the challenges faced by winemakers. He assured consumers of the upcoming availability of top-tier quality wines. He also extended his gratitude to participating cellars for their steadfast support.
The top winemakers from Wellington Wines, recipients of the General Smuts and Pietman Hugo Trophies, are set to embark on an exciting six-day sponsored overseas trip. This unique opportunity, established in 2019 through collaboration between SANWSA and Porex, a prominent machinery and winemaking equipment supplier, will allow the winemakers to explore various industry facets abroad, including a prominent fermentation company and filtration plant in Germany, as well as local wine cellars.
