The Trophy Wine Show 2023 Press Release: New Talent and Timeless Stars

The presentation of trophies and gold medals for The 2023 Trophy Wine Show – brought to you by Investec – was hosted at Delaire-Graff on 8th June. This was the first of the competition’s 22 awards functions to be hosted in the Winelands rather than in the Mother City.

The judging took place in the week of 15th May where the judges (including Jancis Robinson MW OBE, Anne Krebiehl MW and Benjamin Roffet, who were flown to South Africa especially for the event) and associate judges reviewed 688 wines. Their deliberations yielded 19 best-in-class trophies including 4 Museum Class trophies, from 32 gold medals, 86 silver medals and 320 bronze awards. With 36% of wines receiving no medal at all the show continues to remain true to its objective which is to be the most rigorous wine competition in the world. As many of South Africa’s producers have ruefully admitted – “a medal, any medal, at the Trophy Wine Show is an achievement to be proud of.”
This is the second year the show has enjoyed headline sponsorship by Investec – whose private bank has been judged the Best Private Bank and Wealth Manager in South Africa at the Financial Times of London’s Global Private Banking awards. The partnership unites Investec’s visionary “Out of the Ordinary” approach with the competition’s commitment to identifying South Africa’s best wines.

The silver and gold medal and trophy-winning wines will be available for public tasting for a single night only in Johannesburg on 14th June and Cape Town on 21st June. Wines will be available for sale via the Show’s online fulfilment partner, Port2Port, which will also be represented at the two tastings. Winning wines will also be offered at a series of Masterclass® tastings hosted by Investec for the banks’ corporate and high net worth clients over the course of 2023 at a number of venues around South Africa. (The winning wines from the 2022 competition were shown as Masterclasses® in Cape Town, Pretoria, Johannesburg, East London, Plettenberg Bay, George and at Wine on Water in St Francis Bay).  Cumesh Moodliar, head of Investec Private Banking SA says, “We pride ourselves in creating the ‘Out of the Ordinary’ for our clients, whether it’s exceptional products and service or exclusive experiences that money can’t buy. As the headline sponsor of The 2023 Trophy Wine Show, we are not only proudly supporting South Africa’s exceptional wine industry, but we are also giving our clients access to something they can’t get anywhere else, including first access to curated crates of award-winning wines to master classes and public tastings.”

The 2023 Most Successful Producer overall is Zevenwacht Wine Estate with three best-in-class trophies viz. The Sunday Times Trophy for Best Sauvignon Blanc, The Harold Eedes Trophy for Best Chenin Blanc and the Rosa Kruger Trophy for Best Old Vine Wine. These were awarded to Zevenwacht Z Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2022 and the Zevenwacht Z Collection Chenin Blanc 2022 respectively. Winemaker Hagen Viljoen, who has been at the property since 2018, garnered an additional two silver medals for the 2020 Cabernet Sauvignon and the 2021 Chardonnay. This is the first time Zevenwacht has won trophies at the Show. 

The High Road Director’s Reserve 2019 won the Riedel Trophy for Bordeaux-style Red Blend, the Vinolok Trophy for Best Premium Wine and the Investec Trophy for Best Red Wine Overall.

The Survivor Cellar Master Series Chardonnay 2022 (from Overhex) won the Miele Trophy for Best Chardonnay and the Investec Trophy for Best White Wine Overall.

The Essay Syrah Cinsaut & Grenache & Mourvèdre from MAN Family Wines won the Investec Trophy for Best Rhône-style Red Blend and the Investec Trophy for Discovery of Show (best value gold medallist). 

The winner of the Investec International Judges’ Trophy (for the gold medallist with the highest combined scores of the three international judges, at the trophy judging) was awarded to The Villiersdorp Winery Syrah 2020. Villiersdorp is one of three newcomers on the trophy-winners’ podium this year, sharing the status with Bloemendal and The High Road. Canto and Bloemendal are the only two newcomers as gold medallists.