2010 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year Award
This year the winner of the 2010 Diners Club Winemaker of The Year Award went to Bartho Eksteen from Hermanuspietersfontein winery near Hermanus, who follows the winning footsteps of winemakers such as Günter Brözel, Sydney Back and Danie de Wet. All winemakers in this category had to submit Sauvignon Blanc wines. Dave Hughes, chairman of the judging panel, spoke of the wine: “No. 5 is a perfectly balanced wine with a 15% Sémillon component that adds a further layer to the combination of wood and fruit. It is a style proving increasingly popular with South African wine lovers.”
Among the unfortified dry red blended wines the Young Winemakers were required to submit, was RJ Botha’s 2009 Nitida Calligraphy from Nitida Cellars in Durbanville. Botha swooped up the award with Hughes praising the wine. “Selecting a winner was no easy task, but RJ Botha’s 2009 Nitida Calligraphy stood out for its multi-faceted qualities. This vibrant, Bordeaux-style blend, comprising 47% Merlot, 28% Cabernet Franc and 25% Cabernet Sauvignon, was sourced from grapes from the winery’s own vineyards in the cool Durbanville area of the Western Cape.”
To mark three decades of the competition, Diners Club has compiled a special “heritage pack” consisting of 12 wines made by previous winners still active in the industry, including the wines of, inter alia, Rust en Vrede, Graham Beck, Allesverloren, Thelema and Bouchard Finlayson.
Diners Club managing director Ebrahim Matthews has said that over the years these awards have become a benchmark for the industry and were regarded as one of South Africa’s most prestigious wine competitions. 30 years later, the event still holds one of the most esteemed titles, recognising the talent of industrialised winemakers, and also the efforts of young South African winemakers as a new generation of vintners emerge and discover the art of viticulture.
Diners Club Winemaker of the previous decade:
2001 H Swiegers Slanghoek Noble Late Harvest 2001
2002 B Gerber Groot Constantia Merlot 2001
2003 I du Toit Jason’s Hill Sauvignon Blanc 2003
2004 J Neseberend For My Friend Shiraz 2002
2005 J Kruger Sterhuis Barrel Selection Chardonnay 2004
2006 F Abenbag Mountain Ridge Seven Oaks Cab Sav Shiraz 2004
2007 R F Penfold Steenberg Semillon 2007
2008 O Sauerman La Vigne Single Vineyard Shiraz 2007
2009 C Reabow Moreson Premium Chardonnay 2007
