WINES OF DISTINCTION

CONSISTENTLY producing wines of world distinction over several vintages is a claim few wine producers can make. Bouchard Finlayson, the award-winning wine estate in the Hemel en Aarde-valley near Hermanus, is one of the wine estates in this exclusive group.

Bouchard Finlayson was awarded the Trophy for the Wine of the Year for its Galpin Peak Pinot Noir, scoring 97.5% in the newly launched web based South African Suprieur Wine Rating Index (SASWRI) - a world first.

The South African Suprieur Wine Rating Index aims to enable lovers of the juice of the vine to make informed choices and so firmly establish the image of the most superior South African wines among the key contenders in the global market.

Bouchard Finlayson’s Galpin Peak Pinot Noir heads the 96+ Club list in the first SASWRI. But this comes as no surprise as Bouchard Finlayson has become world-renowned for its Pinot noir and is consistently hailed as SA’s leading Pinot noir producer by both local and international wine competitions, magazines and critics alike. The Estate’s Pinot noirs can easily be classed as one of the world’s finest examples of this cultivar. The accolades, however, do not stop there! This well-known winery has two wines in the top 10 category with its Hannibal blend of sangiovese, pinot noir, shiraz, mourvedre, nebbiolo and barbera scoring an equally impressive 96.7%.

Finally, Bouchard Finlayson winemaker Peter Finlayson was named Viticulturist of the Year to round off a hugely impressive debut on the SASWRI.

The introduction of this uniquely designed wine rating system takes South African wine quality ratings to a new level. The system, the brain child of Izak Smit, co-author of the award winning book The Essential Guide to SA Wines, considers vintage quality consistency over a period of at least three consecutive years, as well as local and international award achievements in order to give the buyer an encompassing view of the particular wine.

“Consistent results in various competitions over different vintage periods provide a far better reflection of the real quality of a wine,” explains Smit. “Credit is thus being given to a 'basket' of achievements instead of a single, unverifiable achievement which does not necessarily denote a wine of excellence.”

The systems will facilitate realistic comparisons between wines that might have scored highly at one show and poorly at another. The much coveted 96+ Club includes those exceptional wines whose outstanding complexity and consistent character makes it worth a special effort to find, purchase and enjoy.

Only ten wine cellars were the first recipients of awards having reached the 96+% mark for consistently producing wines of world distinction over several vintage years.ÿ