Darling Cellars awarded Gold
The West Coast winery increasingly gaining recognition for its cool climate wines, Darling Cellars, recently won a Gold Medal at this year’s Mundus Vini International Wine Awards for their limited-release Bordeaux-style blend Sir Charles Henry Darling 2007. They also claimed gold at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards for their Reserve Six-Tonner Merlot 2010.
The Mundus Vini International Wine Awards is one of the largest wine competitions in the world, and the pinnacle wine event in Germany, one of South Africa’s biggest export markets. The Darling Cellars Sir Charles Henry Darling 2007, a Gold Medal winner at this year’s competition, is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot. The wine pays homage to Sir Charles Henry Darling, who became Governor of the Cape in 1851, was a great proponent of human rights and it is also him after whom the town of Darling is named. The classic Bordeaux varietals were co-fermented, matured in 100% new French oak for 22 months and bottle aged for 12 months before release. The wine shows cassis and a hint of smoky bacon on the nose and has a juicy succulent palate with complex fruit and wood flavours. This Limited Release wine displays harmony, structure and finesse and will mature into a wonderful wine. The Cellar Door price is R125.
The Michelangelo International Wine Awards is true to its name in that the wines are judged according to international standards by 15 international judges. Given the high level of South African wine exports, the focus of the awards is on selecting wines that will appeal to consumers in international markets. The Darling Cellars Six Tonner Merlot 2010, the Michelangelo Gold Medal recipient, forms part of the Darling Cellars Reserve range, a selection of single varietal wines where the focus is on fruit-driven, value-for-money wines that reflect their varietal character. The Reserve Six Tonner Merlot, produced from low-yielding, dry-land bush vines, is a soft, fruity wine with delicate ripe plum and mulberry notes on both the nose and palate. With the subtle use of oak, this wine has a wonderfully appealing balance between fruit and wood, for easy drinking. The award-winning wine sells at the Cellar Door for only R45.
“These prestigious awards endorse Darling Cellars’ passionate commitment to quality and a sense of place: to producing wines showing concentrated fruit from low-yielding bush vines and reflecting the unique cool-climate terrain of the West Coast. What nature gives us each year, we try to bottle with passion and honour”, commented Darling Cellars cellarmaster, Abé Beukes.
For more information contact Darling Cellars on +27 (0)22 492 2276 or info@darlingcellars.co.za or visit www.darlingcellars.co.za.
