The categories that received the most entries were Sauvignon blanc and Rosé, followed by Shiraz and Bordeaux Style blends. Overall, there were more white wines entered, compared to red. The Spirit category was dominated by gin, as expected, followed by Grappa and Rum.
The Sauvignon blanc wines showed a diversity of styles from the slightly asparagus and vegetable side to the extremely tropical. All had vibrant acidity and showed extremely well. The fact that a 2019 wine won the Trophy for best Sauvignon blanc shows how well the cultivar can age.
The white blend class was extremely exciting and one of the favourites, showing a lot of character, finesse and depth.
Rosé was a class to be reckoned with, particularly the lighter lemony styles that were invitingly elegant. The wines were well balanced and there were some serious contenders that shook up this normally pedestrian class. There were some world class wines.
Some of the top-scoring red wines were from the blended classes. The Bordeaux flight was extremely consistent, and the Cape blends really excited with some delicious examples. It showed that this class could put South Africa on the map.
The Merlot class excited and surprised, especially the older examples. The Shiraz class had some of the highest scoring red wines, showing that South African Shiraz wines are truly world class.
The brandies showed very well in their class, as did the Grappas, which were very exciting. Gin, as a class, showed that botanicals really added quality, and the gins that were juniper-strong did better. The London Dry class outperformed the other styles of gin.
Overall, the judges were pleased with the spectrum of quality wines and spirits entered. Details about The Merit Wine and Spirit Challenge 2021 will be announced in the last week of January 2021.