Platters Guide 2012
Published since 1980, Platter’s is still a favourite guide to who's who and what's what in South Africa’s winelands. The 32nd edition, launched on the 8th of November, features more than 900 South African wine producers, merchants and brands, including 58 new ones, and over 7,000 locally produced wines. The guide’s wine descriptions and star ratings, compiled in association with a team of wine experts, make it easy to find the right wine for any occasion, while the good-value indicators highlight those bottlings which are especially budget friendly across all quality levels.
Platter’s 2012 also includes information on where to go and what to do in wine country. Dining, accommodation and cellardoor tasting options are covered in detail, along with many and diverse winery amenities, attractions and activities. GPS coordinates, easy-to-use maps and quick look-up tables provide invaluable aides for visitors planning their own wineland rambles.
The theme for this edition is Thinking Out Of The Box, with the full-colour Photo Gallery and many of the entries in the A-Z Directory focusing on organisations and individuals who innovatively employ ideas, techniques and technologies in viticulture, winemaking, packaging, wine tourism, social media, conservation, sustainability, matching wine and food, and creating new wine styles.
A highlight of any new edition is the five star line-up – the exceptional bottlings which emerge from a second round of tasting with the judges’ highest rating on the Platter’s scale of 0 - 5 stars (“Somewhat less than ordinary” to “Superlative. A South African classic”). This edition 45 wines made the five star cut, and, remarkably, three producers – Boekenhoutskloof, Mullineux Family and Nederburg – each garnered 3 five star ratings and one – Graham Beck Wines – followed closely with 2. Eleven wineries received five star ratings for the first time, namely Badsberg, Colmant, Diemersfontein, Fable, Flagstone, Glenelly, Miles Mossop, Mont Destin, Oak Valley, Vins d’Orrance and Warwick. (The full list of five star wines appears below.)
Of the five star awarded wines, the red and white which receive the most votes from the judging panel are named Platter’s Wines of the Year. This time the Red Wine Of The Year is Chamonix Pinot Noir Reserve 2010, described in the guide as “plush and vibrant”, whilst the White Wine Of The Year is Badsberg Badslese 2009, a Natural Sweet dessert wine made from chenin blanc and a small portion of hanepoot (muscat d’Alexandrie), and noted as “outstanding, elegantly presented and decidedly moreish”.
The Superquaffer of the Year, for the fifth consecutive year, the ultra-easy sipper of the year is a white wine. This time it’s The Wolftrap White 2010, Boekenhoutskloof Winery’s blend of viognier, chenin blanc and grenache blanc, noted in the guide as “delicious, and great value for money”.
The names of the 11 other top quaffers appear in the new guide under the heading “Wines of the Year”, along with the 45 five stars, 95 Highly Recommended wines (which missed five stars but are nonetheless extremely fine and collectable in their own right), and 116 reds and whites showing particular potential for cellaring. These ageworthy wines appear under the banner ‘Buy Now, Drink Later’.
Platter’s Winery of the Year award is the editor’s personal selection, after considering a variety of criteria, the aim being to showcase a producer who epitomises the best of South African winegrowing today. “The award is influenced by the results of the five star tasting,” says editor Philip van Zyl, “and the fact that this year three wineries each recorded a trio of five star ratings had the potential to make the decision more difficult. However, one of the contenders distinguished itself by also producing the Superquaffer of the Year. This, coupled to a remarkable track record of 14 five star ratings stretching back to the 2000 edition, plus an understated but highly influential role in placing South Africa on the international fine-wine map, made Boekenhoutskloof the obvious choice for 2012 Winery of the Year.
Platter’s 2012 print version is available at selected bookstores and retailers country-wide. The recommended retail price is R159.95. The book can also be ordered online from Kalahari.com (www.kalahari.com) and SA Wines Online (www.sawinesonline.co.uk). The web-based version is available at www.wineonaplatter.com, with the iPhone App®, in conjunction with Wine-Oh!, available for download from www.wine-oh.info in the next few weeks.
The five star wines for 2012 are:
Cabernet Franc
• Warwick 2008
Cabernet Sauvignon
• Boekenhoutskloof 2009
• Graham Beck Chalkboard #3 2007
• Stark-Condé Three Pines 2009
Pinot Noir
• Chamonix Reserve 2010
• Newton Johnson Domaine 2010
• Oak Valley 2009
Shiraz/Syrah
• Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2009
• Fairview The Beacon 2008
• Mont Destin Destiny 2007
• Mullineux Syrah 2009
• Saxenburg Select 2007
Red Blends
• Bouchard Finlayson Hannibal 2010
• De Toren Fusion V 2009
• Glenelly Lady May 2009
• La Motte Pierneef Shiraz-Viognier 2009
• Meerlust Rubicon 2007
• Miles Mossop Max 2008
• Sadie Family Columella 2009
Chardonnay
• De Wetshof The Site 2009
• Jordan CWG Auction Reserve 2010
Chenin Blanc
• Beaumont Hope Marguerite 2010
• Diemersfontein Carpe Diem 2010
• Vins d’Orrance Kama 2010
Grenache Blanc
• KWV Mentors 2010
Sauvignon Blanc
• Graham Beck Pheasants’ Run 2011
• Hermanuspietersfontein No 5 2010
• Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2010
• Steenberg CWG Auction Reserve The Magus 2010
• Strandveld 2010
White Blends
• Fable Jackal Bird 2010
• Flagstone CWG Auction Reserve Happy Hour 2009
• Mullineux White 2010
• Nederburg Ingenuity 2010
• Tokara Director’s Reserve 2010
Méthode Cap Classique
• Colmant Brut Chardonnay NV
• Topiary Blanc de Blancs Brut 2009
Natural Sweet
• Badsberg Badslese 2009
Dessert Wine Unfortified
• Boekenhoutskloof Noble Late Harvest 2008
• Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2010
• Mullineux Straw Wine 2010
• Nederburg Edelkeur 2010
• Nederburg Eminence 2010
Port
• Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2009
• De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2009
