Boplaas Family Vineyards has been named the best South Africa producer at the 2019 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, announced on the weekend. Now the largest competition of its kind in Africa, this year’s awards attracted over 2 000 entries.
Boplaas won the Multi Color Corporation Grand Prix Award for the top-scoring dessert wine – the Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2009 – as well as three of the 13 Platinum medals awarded among its flood of accolades.
First of the Boplaas Platinum winners was its Cape Vintage Reserve 2009, a wine that consistently performs well across championships. It has been named the best wine in the Wine Magazine 10 Year Report, with 95 points; received five stars in the Platter’s South African Wine Guide 2012; won Double Gold at Veritas 2012; and, rated 94/100 by British Master of Wine Tim Atkin.
Sharing Platinum status at Michelangelo was the Boplaas Heritage White Muscadel 2014 and Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve Port 2017, which was SA Champion Port at SA Young Wine Show 2017.
Boplaas collected Double Gold for Boplaas Cape Vintage 2017, a rich and beautiful port wine notable for its enticing flavours of blackberry, chocolate and fruit cake.
The Michelangelo judges also awarded four Gold medals, two of them in a category that is a focus at Boplaas – Portuguese varieties for still wines:
- The Boplaas Ring of Rocks 2016, a dry red blend in an outstanding vintage of Touriga Nacional, Touriga Francesa, Shiraz and Souzão; and,
- The Boplaas Touriga Nacional 2017 whose accolades include receiving the Platter’s guide title of Hidden Gem and winning Double Gold at the NWC/Top 100 SA Wine Challenge. Touriga Nacional is regarded as the premier Portuguese variety.
In both cases, the regional suitability for the varieties is supported by years of hands-on learning and the latest science at Boplaas. Winemaker Margaux Nel took Touriga Nacional as the subject of study for her MSc degree. “We are very proud of the Touriga Nacional and Ring of Rocks wines, which have amassed numerous awards over the years,” says Boplaas owner and cellar master Carel Nel.
Gold medals also went to the:
- Boplaas Cape Tawny Reserve 1995, which is aged for 15 years in barrels and shows nutty, fruit cake flavours. It is one of only four dated tawnies ever released by Boplaas. The wine won a Double Gold at Veritas in 2012; and,
- Boplaas Single Grain Whisky, which is aged for five years in ex-brandy barrels. The Boplaas Single Grain Whisky (ex-tawny barrels) was awarded a Platinum medal at Michelangelo last year and named best South African whisky.
These award-winning drinks are available from the Boplaas cellar door in Calitzdorp and at the Boplaas tasting room in Klipheuwel in Klein Brak along the Garden Route, as well as from discerning fine wine retailers nationally.