Wine Diva

The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show winners – South Africa’s best – will be available for tasting during the first week of June. The trophy, gold and silver winners from the competition judged in Paarl this week will be presented to the wine-loving public in Cape Town and Sandton within three days of the announcement of the results.

Actual winners are kept under wraps until June 4 but the panel of judges including world-renowned wine authorities, announced the medal breakdown at a feedback session. From the 962 entries judged there are 15 trophy, 24 gold and 39 silver winning wines all of which can be tasted at the public event.

Previous winners of the acclaimed Trophy Wine Show awards (now in its sixth year) include Vergelegen, Raka, Diemersfontein, Cape Point Vineyards, Ernie Els wines, Miles Mossop wines, Hartenberg, Rustenberg wines, Cederberg Cellars, Meerlust, Jordan, Uva Mira Vineyards and Quoin Rock.

The tasting panel, chaired by South African expert Michael Fridjhon, comprised three UK-based judges viz. Jancis Robinson MW OBE (wine writer for the Financial Times), Steven Spurrier (Decanter Magazine UK), and Neil Beckett (editor of The World of Fine Wine), as well as local specialists Angela Lloyd, Cathy van Zyl MW, Christian Eedes (dep. editor WINE SA), and winemakers Gary Jordan (Jordan), Chris Williams (Meerlust) and Rianie Strydom (Haskell Vineyards).

Public Tasting Cape Town:
Date: Thursday, 7 June 2007
Venue: The Grand Ballroom, Arabella Sheraton Grand Hotel, opposite the CTICC
Lower Long Street, Cape Town
Time: 17h00 to 20h00
Parking: Available in the hotel and CTICC parkades

Public Tasting Sandton:
Date: Friday, 8 June 2007
Venue: The Ballroom, Hilton Sandton, Rivonia Road, Sandton
Time: 18h00 to 21h00
Parking: Secure underground parking available at the hotel

Tickets are limited: ‘Early bird’ tickets bought by the end of May will cost R75 each and tickets sold thereafter and at the door (subject to availability), R90 per person. Bookings can be made via Computicket from 2 May by telephoning 083 915 8000 or (011) 340 8000 or online: www.computicket.com

For more info and the announcement of the results on 4 June visit: www.trophywineshow.co.za

Win a case of wine every month for the next five years with Private Wine Merchants, Frogitt & Vonkel and The Jo’burg Wine Show, in association with Beeld.

Passionate about wine? Enjoy discovering new estates and boutique wines? Dreaming of a wine cellar par excellence? Then enter the, ‘Win your wine till 2012’ competition with Frogitt & Vonkel and impress your friends and family with a variety of the best local and international wines available.

Fulfilment partners for The Jo’burg Wine Show, Frogitt & Vonkel are Private Wine Merchants offering a vast selection of exclusive local and international wines delivered to your door throughout South Africa. A sister company of the well-established UK operation Catchpole & Frogitt, the company offers personalised service and expert advice to their clients, through a team of dedicated merchants.

To enter, simply visit the show as every visitor is automatically entered into the draw free of charge or send an email to win@pullthecork.co.za with your name, telephone number and indicate your favourite varieties.

Entries will go into a lucky draw which will take place at 16h00 on Sunday 17 June 2007 at The Jo’burg Wine Show, Gallagher Estate. The winner will receive a case of wine every month for the next five years as well as expert advice on the monthly range of wines on offer by Frogitt & Vonkel’s Private Wine Merchants.

For more information, log on to www.wineshow.co.za

Award-winning Raka wines will be showcased at the world’s most prestigious department store, Harrods of London during May 2007 and will continue on to the content-packed local consumer event, The Jo’burg Wine Show in June 2007.

Four Raka wines have been selected by Harrods for their South African wine promotion during the month of May, demonstrating the quality which Raka wines have become renowned for.

The range to be featured by Harrods includes Raka Quinary, a full-bodied Bordeaux blend with a complex nose of spice, blackberry, mint and cigar box and Raka Spliced, a value for money, everyday drinking wine as well as Raka Barrel Select Merlot and Raka Biography Shiraz.

Visitors to The Jo’burg Wine Show will be able to taste and buy some of Raka’s top red wines including the twice double-gold award winning Raka Quinary 2003, which now flies with South African Airways and British Airways, Raka Figurehead, which has been awarded four–and-a-half stars by John Platter and the Michelangelo double gold, and the newly released Raka Biography Shiraz 2005.

And if you are stocking up your cellar for hot summer days, Raka offers a youthful, fresh Sauvignon Blanc with lemony-fruit and green figs on the palate and the dry-style Rose with the pleasant flavour of sweet and sour cherries.

The Jo’burg Wine Show is taking place at Gallagher Estate from Friday 15 June to Sunday 17 June 2007 at Gallagher Estate. For more information log on to www.wineshow.co.za or call 021 886 656