In an impressive showcase of consistency, Diemersdal Estate’s Sauvignon Blanc Reserve 2022 triumphed once again, securing a coveted spot in this year’s FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 competition. This recognition comes less than a week after the same wine clinched a Double Gold medal at the prestigious Veritas awards, South Africa’s foremost wine competition.
What sets this year’s Top 10 victory apart is that it marks the sixth consecutive year in which Diemersdal has earned a place on the esteemed winners’ list. As specialists in Sauvignon Blanc, Diemersdal stands as a sixth-generation family-owned wine farm situated in the Durbanville wine region, overseen by the Louw family.
From 2017 to 2020, Diemersdal’s Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 awards were secured by the Winter Ferment, an exceptional wine crafted from Sauvignon Blanc juice that is frozen at harvest and then fermented six months later. This unique process imparts a distinctive tropical fruit profile to the wine. The Diemersdal Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2021 claimed the Top 10 honor last year, a feat repeated this year by the same wine but from the 2022 vintage.
Thys Louw, the sixth-generation family member and owner-winemaker of Diemersdal, emphasizes that this year’s Top 10 Award underscores the prowess of crafting Sauvignon Blanc through a winemaking approach where the vintner serves as a steward of the grapes, allowing terroir and vintage to dictate the final outcome.
“The Sauvignon Blanc Reserve originates from two distinct vineyards on different altitudes within Diemersdal,” he explains. “One vineyard stands at the farm’s highest point, 400m above sea level, while the other is situated at 150m. Both vineyards boast decomposed gravel soils with a significant clay component, delivering optimal drainage and water-retention conditions. The synergy of the nearby Atlantic Ocean, combined with the unique soils and vineyard orientations, consistently yields exceptional Sauvignon Blanc grapes from these two sites that contribute to the Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Reserve.”
Louw emphasizes that Diemersdal’s commitment to dryland viticulture plays a pivotal role in maintaining consistent wine quality. “Our farm has never employed irrigation for the vines, except for lawns and flowers,” he states. “Vines thrive and harmonize with their natural surroundings when they rely solely on rainfall for hydration. Our focus is solely on the vineyard, as it is the vineyard that truly shapes the Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Reserve.”
The favorable conditions of the 2021 growing season significantly impacted this year’s Sauvignon Blanc quality at Diemersdal. “We experienced a cool and wet winter in 2021, followed by an ideal growing season characterized by even stages of bud-break, berry-set, veraison, and ripening,” says Louw. “The vineyard bestowed upon us the wine, and the Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 competition bestowed upon us the Trophy!”
Louw praises the Sauvignon Blanc Top 10 Awards, which garnered 161 entries this year, for its effective promotion of South Africa’s most popular wine variety. “Crucially, this competition underscores that wines cherished by consumers can also be exceptional wines of remarkable quality,” he concludes.
