Record number of entries for Young Wine Show

A record 2 163 young wines, 10% more than last year, were entered for the 2015 SA Young Wine Show.

Record number of entries for Young Wine Show
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The competition, which caters for wine produced in the current vintage, aims to give recognition to remarkable wines in their first year of production, while also acknowledging the skills of winemakers and viticulturists.

This year’s massive line-up will be sampled by judges at the Nederburg Auction Complex in Paarl during the course of the week of 27 July.

Each class will be judged by a panel of seven qualified wine judges. As in previous years, the inclusion of an eighth trainee judge on each panel will give upcoming wine tasters the chance to hone their evaluation skills, according to a statement by the show organiser, the South African National Wine Show Association (SANWSA).

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The categories for Shiraz and Chenin Blanc attracted the highest number of entries (178 each), followed by Cabernet Sauvignon (153) and Sauvignon Blanc (147), SANWSA said.

Entrants compete for SA Champion trophies in 17 classes, but only one of the more than 2 100 wines will be named the overall South African champion young wine and presented with the General Smuts trophy.

The coveted Pietman Hugo trophy for the cellar with the highest marks for entries in five categories is also up for grabs.

The winners will be announced at the 2015 SA Young Wine Awards gala dinner to be hosted by the Oranje Vaal Wine Region at the Augrabies Falls, near Upington, on 21 August.