Punching above our weight in the awards department

This in itself is no bad thing. There are other times of the year crammed with award fests: the risk of information overload in June, for example, is almost as high. The problem with organisers postponing the details of their ultimate laureate until November is that everything gets lost in the festive season rush.

The International Wine and Spirits Competition (IWSC) has been easing its results onto the market for several months. The event, judged in the UK in late Spring, has long been a favourite among Cape wineries. The fact that many of its trophies have South African donors confirms the close link between Cape producers and this wine show.

I judged the IWSC many years ago and thought it was meticulously organised. However, I remain unconvinced of its strategy that sees the primary judging divided along national grounds.

At this first stage SA competes against SA to produce a somewhat predictable result. After this round, however, borders are eliminated and the top category trophies - Best Chardonnay, Best Cabernet, Best Bordeaux-blend - are chosen from an open field.

Here SA often boxes above its weight. Relative to the reputation (and price point entitlement) of France, the US and Australia, we have outperformed all these countries in classes such as the Best Bordeaux blend. SA regularly takes home the trophy for the show's best winemaker.

This year Abrie Beeslaar of Kanonkop was able to add it to his already bulging Christmas stocking. His 2008 achievements include winning the Calyon Trophy for SA's best Bordeaux-blend, a Platter five-star award for his Cabernet, and the Platter Guide's plaudit for the Winery of the Year. Nor is this the first time that Kanonkop's winemaker has emerged victorious at the IWSC. The winery's success at this thoughtfully managed show reinforces it as one of SA's best, and most consistent, producers.

Consistency turns out to be the hallmark of Kevin Grant's achievements at Ataraxia, the boutique operation he founded after leaving Hamilton Russell Vineyards. His 2007 Chardonnay has just obtained one of only three five-star ratings for the variety in the 2009 Platter Guide. (The others, incidentally, were Jordan's CWG Auction Reserve 2006 and Uva Mira's Single Vineyard 2007.)

Fast upon this comes the announcement last week that it was the only South African class-winner at the 2008 Tri-Nation's Challenge, an annual event that has been hosted in Australia since 2003. This achievement, which saw it outperform international super-premium players such as Leeuwin and Craggy Range, vindicates Anthony Rose's observation in the UK's Independent where he wrote about its stylistic proximity to Puligny Montrachet.

The list of Cape "Highly Commended" Golds at this year's Tri-Nations - while obviously a gratifying sign of the strength at the top of the Cape wine pyramid - corroborates the concern (expressed by many ) that South African wines are better than their international image.

Rustenberg's Five Soldiers Chardonnay, De Morgenzon's Chenin Blanc, Hamilton Russell's Pinot Noir, Tokara's Estate Red, Beyerskloof's Synergy Reserve, Nederburg's Auction Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest as well as the standard Noble Late Harvest, and Ken Forrester's "T" all took gold medals.

In a competition that defies most of the stereotypes (this year the Kiwis dominated the top berths in the Shiraz class) and where subtlety rather than brash charm is generally rewarded, the Cape's performance confirms the real stature of our finest wines.

This is also the time of the year when Diner's Club announces the result of its annual Winemaker of the Year competition. The award celebrates the performance of a producer in a particular category; this year white blends.

This is a tiny segment of the market. However, in the past five years it has proved to be a veritable treasure trove of high-quality wines, attracting many of the most committed of the country's white winemakers. Relative to the number of players, it has probably accounted for more trophies, Platter five-star awards and international acclaim than any other Cape wine class.

The top-ranked wine this year was Cape Point's 2006 Isliedh, a wine with as many gongs and stickers as there was blank space on the bottle. However, wine-maker Duncan Savage could not satisfy the organisers that he still had the requisite 3000 bottles in stock. Diners Club has done the right thing, withdrawing the award for the year (rather than handing a tarnished crown to runners-up Bartho Eksteen of Hermanuspietersfontein and Miles Mossop of Tokara.)

The minimum volume requirement may seem an incidental and arcane rule, but it's as much a condition of entry as a full declaration of the contents of a blend. Integrity, like pregnancy, is not graduated in degrees.

* Fridjhon was one of four judges at the 2008 Tri-Nations Challenge.