Five-star performance by Overberg wineries

Writer Hedda Mittner

Wine producers from the Overberg once again made us proud when the 2021 Platter’s by Diners Club SA Wine Guide announced South Africa’s winning wineries and 5-star wines last week. No less than 14 local producers were awarded the coveted Platter’s 5-star seal of approval.

“2020 was, to say the least, incredibly challenging for the South African wine industry,” said the publisher of Platter’s by Diners Club, Jean-Pierre Rossouw, “and the after-effects of the prohibition will be with us for some time to come. But, as the results in the 2021 Wine Guide will show, the quality of our wines and the progressive energy of our winemaking teams cannot be denied.”

Taking top honours in the 2021 Platter’s Wine Guide is Kleine Zalze Wine Estate, situated just outside Stellenbosch, which produced seven 5-star-winning wines and was awarded the title of Top Winery of the Year. De Trafford Wines (also in Stellenbosch) and Sadie Family Wines (Malmesbury) each secured six 5-star ratings. Noticeable mention was given to Alheit Vineyards, situated in Hemel-en-Aarde, which produced five 5-star wines: Cartology 2019, Magnetic North 2019, Hemelrand Vine Garden 2019, Lost & Found 2019, and Nautical Dawn 2019.

Two other local wineries each produced three 5-star wines – Oak Valley in Elgin (South Ridge CY548 Chardonnay 2017, Chardonnay Groenlandberg 2019, and South Ridge CY95 Chardonnay 2017) and Newton Johnson in Hemel-en-Aarde (Pinot Noir 2019, Windandsea Pinot Noir 2019 and Chardonnay 2019). Also located in Hemel-en-Aarde, Bartho Eksteen’s two flagship wines, Vloekskoot 2019 and Houtskool 2019 were both 5-star winners, as were two Restless River wines (Main Road & Dignity 2017 and Ava Marie 2018), two produced by Storm Wines (Vrede Pinot Noir 2019 and Ignis Pinot Noir 2019) and two by Crystallum (Cuvée Cinéma 2019 and Mabalel 2019). Beaumont Family Wines in Botrivier was again awarded five stars for Hope Marguerite 2019 and Vitruvian 2017.

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