Constantia Glen estate in Cape Town has triumphed at the 2019 International Wine Challenge (IWC) in London having it’s Sauvignon Blanc declared “South Africa’s best white wine” overall and the “top Sauvignon Blanc”. The two trophies were awarded after the wine scored 96/100. Judges described it as being, “breezy, stony but succulent”, and said that showcases “a disciplined and deep core and intricate aromatics of flint and Cape gooseberry”.
Winemaker at Constantia Glen Justin van Wyk explains that the conditions in 2018 helped shape the wine, which he says was made using the same techniques from previous years.
“2018 was a particularly cool vintage with a very long and slow ripening period for our Sauvignon blanc vines. It was the latest we have ever picked Sauvignon from our vineyards. This allowed for good concentration of flavour coupled with phenomenal acidity in the grapes, resulting in a punchy, zesty and vibrant wine despite the severe drought that Cape Town suffered during the 2018 season,” Van Wyk explains. I did not do anything differently in this season compared to other vintages. Just always respect the inherent qualities of the fruit as much as possible. With unwooded Sauvignon Blanc in particular it is the vineyards and the growing conditions of the vintage that defines the style and quality of the final wine.”
The judging process at the IWC is rigorous and involves numerous rounds of tastings. The initial round is a blind tasting conducted by the judges who then score award the deserving wines bronze, silver or gold medals. Having scored a gold medal in the first round, Constantia Glen then joined all the other gold medalists for a second round of tasting to determine the trophy winners. Already delighted at being chosen for a gold medal, Van Wyk says he certainly did not expect what happened next.
Constantia Glen’s award winner.
“This was a big surprise for us to receive the Trophy for the best white wine from SA … This is not only a great achievement for us as an estate and the Constantia region, but also for South African Sauvignon Blanc. We are delighted with the result,” he says.
Van Wyk describes the wine itself as being “distinctly Constantia” and says it “exemplifies elegance, finesse and freshness without being lean, but instead quite rich and textured”. He says that he personally finds it pairs beautifully with a beetroot and goats cheese salad, “or even simpler, with crottin goats cheese on Melba toast”.
Empowered by the victory Van Wyk explains that he is looking forward to the next 2019 vintage, which he says is “smaller in quantity, but greater in flavour concentration and … shaping up beautifully in the cellar”.
” Over the course of making the 2018 we learnt to focus firstly on our picking dates. We looked to pick the Sauvignon Blanc at the optimal ripeness level, even if that meant picking small pockets within the same vineyard block at different times, something we repeated for the 2019,” he says.
Apart from the award-winning Sauvignon Blanc, Van Wyk recommends the Constantia Glen “TWO”, which is a Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon blend from the same vintage.
“2018 was a phenomenal vintage for white wines from our vineyards and this shows in the TWO, which perhaps needs a couple of years to open up and reveal its true potential,” he says.
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