Swartland, Voor Paardeberg represented in Top 20 Pinotage awards

There were a few newcomers in the competition for the coveted Absa Top 10 Pinotage trophy when organisers announced the Top 20 finalists for 2019.
The West Coast and neigbouring regions are well represented in the list.
There were 161 entries this year and the Top 20 Pinotage list for 2019 includes
Lutzville Francois le Vaillant Pinotage 2016 – Wine of Origin Lutzville Valley (Cape Diamond Wines), winemaker Christoff de Wet
Fleur de Cap Series Privee Pinotage 2016 – Wine of Origin Coastal Region (Distell – Fleur du Cap Wines), winemaker Pieter Badenhorst
KWV The Mentors Pinotage (Coastal) 2017 – Wine of Origin Coastal origin (KWV), winemaker Izéle van Blerk
Overhex Survivor Pinotage 2017 – Wine of Origin Swartland (Overhex Wines International), winemaker Ben Snyman
Vondeling Bowwood Pinotage 2016 – Wine of Origin Voor Paardeberg (Vondeling Wines), winemaker Matthew Copeland
Windmeul The Legend Collection Pinotage 2017 – Wine of Origin Coastal origin (Windmeul Kelder), winemaker Abraham van Heerden
Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2016 – Wine of Origin Paarl (Windmeul Kelder), winemaker Abraham van Heerden

Pinotage lovers can look forward to see which of their favourite wines among the Top 20 finalists will make it to the finals … The best of the best … The 2019 Absa Top 10 Pinotage winners.
These winners will finally be revealed on 14 August 2019 at an awards function at Boschendal.
To say that the Absa Top 10 Pinotage trophy is a highly sought after accolade is an understatement – the 161 entries received by the competition organisers this year serve as confirmation of the popularity of the event.
Judging took place at Nederburg a few weeks ago, with Winnie Bowman (Cape Wine Master) chairing the judging. Other panellists included Greg Sherwood (London based Wine Master), Razvan Macici (award winning winemaker), Nomonde Kubheka (winemaker connected to Pinotage Youth Development Academy), Frans Smit (Spier cellarmaster) and Solly Monyamane (protégé).
Of the Top 20 in the main competition, now in its 23nd year, five wineries have excelled with each having two of their wines selected for the final round of judging: Kanonkop and Simonsig of Stellenbosch, Wildekrans of Botrivier, Diemersdal of Durbanville and Windmeul of the Paarl region.
Stellenbosch has the lion’s share of representatives, with an impressive six contenders, followed by Paarl with three. Both Durbanville and Botrivier have two representatives each, followed by Swartland, Robertson, Breedekloof, Lutzville with one each. Three coastal region wines also stepped up to the plate this year. In terms of vintage representation, 2016 and 2017 shone the brightest with eight wines. Two younger wines, both from the 2018 vintage, and two older wines from 2015 also got the nod.
Association chairman Beyers Truter says, “The Pinotage Association finds the exceptional quality of the wines produced by members hugely rewarding, and even more so the very representative list of finalists from most of the major South African wine regions. Several industry veterans, including me, are really proud of how Pinotage has grown in stature – a decade ago nobody would have believed that consumer demand would ever allow for some of the iconic Pinotage wines to eventually sell for as much as R1000 per bottle or even more!” – (media release)

The full list of ABSA Top 20 Pinotage Finalists:
Anura Pinotage Reserve 2016 – WO Simonsberg-Paarl (Anura), winemaker Stander Maass
Badsberg Pinotage 2018 – WO Breedekloof (Badsberg Wynkelder), winemaker Henri Swiegers
Beyerskloof Winemaker’s Reserve Pinotage 2017 – WO Stellenbosch (Beyerskloof Wyne), winemaker Anri Truter
Lutzville Francois le Vaillant Pinotage 2016 – WO Lutzville Valley (Cape Diamond Wines), winemaker Christoff de Wet
Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2018 – WO Durbanville (Diemersdal Landgoed), winemaker Thys Louw
Diemersdal MM Louw Pinotage 2017 – WO Durbanville (Diemersdal Landgoed), winemaker Thys Louw
Fleur de Cap Series Privee Pinotage 2016 – WO Coastal Region (Distell – Fleur du Cap Wines), winemaker Pieter Badenhorst
Kanonkop Pinotage 2015 – WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch (Kanonkop Wine Estate), winemaker Abrie Beeslaar
Kanonkop Pinotage 2017 – WO Simonsberg-Stellenbosch (Kanonkop Wine Estate), winemaker Abrie Beeslaar
KWV The Mentors Pinotage (Coastal) 2017 – WO Coastal origin (KWV), winemaker Izéle van Blerk
Môreson Widow Maker Pinotage 2016 – WO Stellenbosch (Moreson), winemaker Clayton Reabow
Overhex Survivor Pinotage 2017 -WO Swartland (Overhex Wines International), winemaker Ben Snyman
Simonsig Redhill Pinotage 2017 – WO Stellenbosch (Simonsig Landgoed), winemaker Debbie Thompson
Simonsig Redhill Pinotage 2016 – WO Stellenbosch (Simonsig Landgoed), winemaker Debbie Thompson
Viljoensdrift River Grandeur Single Vineyard Pinotage 2017 – WO Robertson (Viljoensdrift Associated Wineries cc), winemaker Fred Viljoen
Vondeling Bowwood Pinotage 2016 – WO Voor Paardeberg (Vondeling Wines), winemaker Matthew Copeland
Wildekrans Pinotage Barrel Select Reserve 2016 – WO Botrivier (Wildekrans Wine Estate), winemaker Braam Gericke
Wildekrans Pinotage Barrel Select Reserve 2015 – WO Botrivier (Wildekrans Wine Estate), winemaker Braam Gericke
Windmeul The Legend Collection Pinotage 2017 – WO Coastal origin (Windmeul Kelder), winemaker Abraham van Heerden
Windmeul Pinotage Reserve 2016 – WO Paarl (Windmeul Kelder), winemaker Abraham van Heerden