A scant two decades ago, anything tagged “organic” would have been somewhat out there on the hippy fringe. That’s no longer the case. Organic is mainstream, and nowhere is this more obvious than on retail shelves where sustainable production is now sought after, with consumers happy to pay a premium to be kinder to the environment.
The Green Wine Awards, now in their eighth year and Africa’s only wine competition recognizes and honours wine producers who continue to play an integral role in the provision of ecofriendly wines, which embody farming for the future practices. The awards also seek to celebrate wine producers who are passionate about conserving the land while making greener, finer wines and lowering their carbon footprint.
‘We are delighted to partner with our long standing partner; WWF SA who has been instrumental in the formulation of the Biodiversity & Wine initiative as well as Getaway Magazine to bring the Green Wine Awards. This is in keeping with our sustainability accolades and commitment to communities in which we operate. Through these awards, we are able to create a platform where wine producers are acknowledged for their overall contribution beyond the wine industry which include the agricultural and tourism sectors. Our involvement forms part of the Green Trust through the Nedbank Affinities, over the past two decades – through which the bank continues to make significant contributions to the preservation and protection of the environment, ‘ said Becky Penumlungu, Sponsorship Manager: Lifestyle Properties at Nedbank.
Over 120 wines were judged across two categories (Best wines made from Organically Grown Grapes and Best Wines from Integrated Production of Wine category), by the panel led by internationally renowned wine judge Fiona McDonald.
Judges in the Best Farming Practices category looked at not only what goes into the bottle, but considered the wellbeing of farm employees and surrounding communities and the wider impact of farming on the surrounding environments. The judging panel included Duimpie Bayly, honorary life president of the SA Society of Enology and Wine Viticulture, Daniël Scheitakat of the Integrated Production of Wine, and Anél Blignaut, an environmental consultant. The judges, along with members of the WWF and fellow producers voted on La Motte as the 2016 Best Farming Practice Overall Winner.
Fifteen top achievers were announced at this year’s awards function held on the 20th October in Cape Town (*see winners list below). Earthbound Cabernet Sauvignon Organic 2015 took top honours as the Best Wine Overall in the Organically Grown Grapes category while Paul Cluver Noble Late Harvest 2014 unanimously scooped the Best Integrated Production of Wine Overall.
The full results and a competition overview are available in South Africa’s Green Wine Guide 2016, bagged with the November issue of Getaway, which is on sale from 24 October. Results are also available at greenwineawards.com.
Wine enthusiasts will be able to sample the winning wines from the 2016 Nedbank Green Wine Awards in Cape Town and Johannesburg in November. More information on these tasting events can be found at greenwineawards.com/tasting-events.
Twitter: @GreenWineAwards
#GreenWineAwards
2016 winners:
INTEGRATED PRODUCTION OF WINE WINNERS 2016
Judges Overall Winner Paul Cluver Noble Late Harvest 2014
Judges Best Red Gabriëlskloof The Blend 2014
Judges Best White Journey’s End Destination Chardonnay 2014
Bloggers Overall Winner Vondeling Babiana 2015
Best Value Winner Jordan Chameleon Sauvignon Blanc Chardonnay 2015
ORGANIC WINNERS 2016
Judges Overall Winner Earthboard Cabernet Sauvignon Organic 2015
Judges Best Red Earthboard Cabernet Sauvignon Organic 2015
Judges Best White Longridge Chardonnay 2015
Bloggers Overall Winner Org De Rac Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2013
Best Value Winner Org De Rac cabernet Sauvignon 2015
BEST FARMING PRACTISE 2016
Leader in Energy conservation Lourensford
Leader in Water conservation Paul Cluver
Leader in Eco-tourism: Bartinney
Leader in Community development La Motte
THE 2015 BEST FARMING PRACTICE AWARD
La Motte
0 Comments