All wineries seek a coveted gold medal. Many spend years buying in the best fruit and blending countless wines in pursuit of a win. This makes the achievement of Johann Fourie, Benguela Cove’s cellar master and his team even more significant, winning three double gold medals in the Veritas wine awards in only the winery’s fifth year.
Wines and brandies were tasted blind by the Veritas panel of experts and the results announced in November. Scores are awarded according to the international 100-point scale: a double gold medal is achieved when the panel agrees a score of 93 or more out of 100 for an entry; gold when a wine notches-up 90 to 92.9 points. The winery was completed in 2017, and it is almost unprecedented for such a young team to achieve double gold, along with two gold medals to add to the treasure chest.
So, what is it that makes Benguela Cove so successful? Johann Fourie explains:
“The terroirs of Benguela Cove were at best considered marginal when grapes were first planted in 2007. But in many ways, this is no bad thing; Wines from marginal sites across the globe, like Benguela Cove, have in common a distinct and authentic character with a strong sense of place. These sites produce naturally-stressed vines, which in return means better quality.”
The site has turned out to be exceptional, says Fourie, with each of the various slopes and soil types producing wines that are “ocean-fresh, elegant and uniquely different and therefore site specific – as a vineyard that’s the lowest-lying, with the longest seaboard of any vineyard in the world.
He credits Benguela Cove’s entrepreneurial owner Penny Streeter OBE and her family with giving him free rein to create wines of distinction; this has allowed him, the fruit and the estate to stand out from the crowd, Fourie says; every single bottle produced at Benguela Cove is made using grapes, produced and bottled on the estate.
So, which wines were the stars of the Veritas awards?
Penny Streeter says that if you want to give a gift this Christmas or simply ensure that you have the best wines on your table, the choice must be double gold winners Benguela Cove Vinography Sauvignon Blanc 2020, Benguela Cove Estate Sauvig-non Blanc 2020 and for those that enjoy a sparkling wine, Benguela Cove Joie De Vivre Cap Classique Brut 2017.
Gold medals went to wines in the Benguela Cove Lighthouse Collection – Moody Lagoon Red Blend 2019 and Benguela Cove Estate Wine Malbec 2019.
Penny Streeter, says: “It has been great to emerge from the pandemic and see so many awards coming to Benguela Cove; it results from so much hard work by our team.”
“This year the Benguela Cove estate was awarded WWF Champion Status for environmental practices, and the awards from Veritas, Michelangelo and Tim Atkin MW add a further stamp of approval for our winery; together with the property and sustainability awards it feels like Benguela Cove is the place to be!”
For more information visit www.benguelacove.co.za
