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  Platter's 2016 Wine Guide is here!

30 Oct 2015

Topics: Platter's Guide, South Africa, South African wine, wine

The Platters by Diners Club South African Wine Guide 2016 was launched at Cape Town’s Mount Nelson Hotel on 29 October 2015 with over 200 guests in attendance, the VIPs including wine producers who had achieved the maximum five star rating in the new edition – reserved for wines that are “South African classics”.

The guide’s ultimate accolade, Winery of the Year, this year went to Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines. The Swartland-based winery thereby became the first to scoop the award twice within a handful of years, having been named Platters Winery of the Year in 2014.

Even more remarkably, both the prestigious Red Wine of the Year and new Dessert Wine of the Year awards also went to Mullineux & Leeu, for their site-specific Iron Syrah 2013 and debut solera-matured Olerasay Straw Wine NV respectively. To cap a stellar performance, the Mullineux team garnered three further five star ratings.

Stellenbosch family estate Warwick scooped the White Wine of the Year plaudit for The White Lady Chardonnay 2014.

A total of 83 five star wines, as well as three new five star brandies and one new five star husk spirit are featured in the 2016 guide. Publisher of Platters, Jean-Pierre Rossouw, says: “This year, all wines that were scored 4.5 stars or higher in the primary assessment went into a second round of tasting, conducted blind (without sight of the label) by small panels including experienced palates from outside the team.”

Emerging from this thorough review process with their first ever five star ratings were the following 16 producers: Anura, Beeslaar, Bloemendal, Constantia Glen, Eenzaamheid, GlenWood, Guardian Peak, Keermont, La Couronne, Leeuwenkuil, Luddite, MVH Signature Wines, Savage Wines, Vondeling, Vuurberg and Waterkloof.

Also worthy of note are 4 five star awards for Spier, and 3 five star ratings each for David & Nadia Sadie and Newton Johnson Family Vineyards.

Debuting in 1980, Platters by Diners Club is South Africa’s first and still leading wine annual, with total hardcover sales of well over 1.4 million copies, plus more recent digital versions for mobile and desktop devices. The 2016 edition follows the popular and award-winning Platters format, with more than 900 South African wine producers, merchants and brands being featured, including some 50 new ones, along with over 8,000 locally produced wines.

The guide’s wine descriptions and star ratings are compiled in association with a team of leading wine experts, and include good-value indicators and pointers to Hidden Gems – wines that are interesting, unique, unusual or otherwise worthy of wine lovers’ attention. Wine-lands dining, accommodation and cellar door tasting options are also covered in detail, along with the full spectrum of tourist amenities, attractions and activities.

To order the new guide in hardcover, or subscribe to the online (web-based) version, here.

The five star wines for 2016 are:

Cabernet Franc

  1. Chamonix 2013

Cabernet Sauvignon

  1. Delaire Graff Laurence Graff Reserve 2012
  2. Guardian Peak Lapa 2013
  3. Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2012

Cinsaut

  1. AA Badenhorst Ramnasgras 2014

Grenache Noir

  1. David & Nadia Sadie 2014

Pinotage

  1. Beeslaar 2013
  2. Rijk's Reserve 2011
  3. Spier 21 Gables 2013
  4. Windmeul Reserve 2014

Pinot Noir

  1. Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak 2013
  2. Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2014

Shiraz/Syrah

  1. Bellingham Bernard Series Basket Press Syrah 2013
  2. Eagles' Nest Shiraz 2012
  3. Leeuwenkuil Heritage Syrah 2013
  4. Mullineux Iron Syrah 2013
  5. Reyneke Syrah 2013
  6. Richard Kershaw Clonal Selections Elgin Syrah 2013

Red Blends

  1. AA Badenhorst Red 2013
  2. Delaire Graff Botmaskop 2013
  3. Ernie Els CWG Auction Reserve 2013
  4. Fleur du Cap Laszlo 2012
  5. Haskell IV 2010
  6. Kaapzicht Steytler Vision 2012
  7. Luddite Saboteur 2012
  8. Meerlust Rubicon 2010
  9. Miles Mossop Max 2012
  10. Mulderbosch Faithful Hound 2013
  11. Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2013
  12. Nico van der Merwe Mas Nicolas Cape 2013
  13. Savage Wines CWG Auction Reserve Follow the Line 2013
  14. Spier CWG Auction Reserve Frans K Smit 2011
  15. The Winery of Good Hope Radford Dale Black Rock 2013
  16. Vondeling Erica 2012
  17. Vuurberg Reserve 2012

Chardonnay

  1. Buitenverwachting 2014
  2. Dorrance Cuvée Anaïs 2014
  3. GlenWood Grand Duc 2013
  4. Graham Beck Lonehill 2014
  5. Haskell Anvil 2014
  6. MVH Signature 2014
  7. Newton Johnson Family Vineyards 2014
  8. Paul Cluver Seven Flags 2014
  9. Sterhuis Barrel Selection 2013
  10. Sumaridge 2013
  11. Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay 2014

Chenin Blanc

  1. Botanica Mary Delany 2014
  2. David & Nadia Sadie Hoë-Steen 2014
  3. Eenzaamheid 2013
  4. Kaapzicht The 1947 2014
  5. Keermont Riverside 2014
  6. Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve 2014
  7. Mullineux Granite 2014

Roussanne

  1. Bellingham Bernard Series Whole Bunch 2015

Sauvignon Blanc

  1. Cederberg David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner 2014
  2. Nederburg The Young Airhawk 2014
  3. Neil Ellis Groenekloof 2015
  4. Spier 21 Gables 2014

Semillon

  1. Constantia Uitsig 2014
  2. Mullineux CWG Auction Reserve The Gris 2014

Viognier

  1. The Foundry 2014

White Blends

  1. Bloemendal Kanonberg 2014
  2. Cape Point CWG Auction Reserve White 2014
  3. Constantia Glen Two 2014
  4. Constantia Uitsig Natura Vista 2014
  5. David & Nadia Sadie Aristargos 2014
  6. Mullineux White Blend 2014
  7. Newton Johnson Resonance 2014
  8. Nitida Coronata Integration 2014
  9. Oak Valley Mountain Reserve White Blend 2011
  10. Sadie ‘T Voetpad 2014
  11. Spier Creative Block 2 2014
  12. Waterkloof Circle of Life White 2013

Méthode Cap Classique

  1. Anura Brut 2011
  2. Cederberg Blanc de Blancs Brut 2010

Dessert Wine, Unfortified

  1. Miles Mossop Kika Noble Late Harvest 2014
  2. Nederburg Winemaster's Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2014
  3. Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet 2011
  4. Mullineux Olerasay Straw Wine NV

Dessert Wine, Fortified

  1. La Couronne Muscadel NV
  2. Boplaas Heritage Reserve White Muscadel 2012

Port-Style

  1. Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2012
  2. De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2013

Brandy/Husk Spirit

  1. Dalla Cia 10 Year Old Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot Husk Spirit
  2. KWV 10 Year Old Vintage
  3. KWV Nexus
  4. Van Ryn 15 Year Fine Cask Reserve

Wines & Winery of the Year are:

White Wine of the Year

Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay 2014

Dessert Wine of the Year

Mullineux Olerasay Straw Wine NV

Red Wine of the Year

Mullineux Iron Syrah 2013

Winery of the Year

Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines

Publication notes for Platter’s by Diners Club

  • Published by: John Platter SA Wineguide (Pty) Ltd
  • Publisher: Jean-Pierre Rossouw
  • Editor: Philip van Zyl
  • Tasters for 2016: Angela Lloyd; Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl; Cape Wine Masters Winnie Bowman, Greg de Bruyn, Tim James, Christine Rudman and Meryl Weaver; David Biggs, Joanne Gibson, Higgo Jacobs, Cathy Marston, Fiona McDonald, Ingrid Motteux, Gregory Mutambe, Jörg Pfützner & Dave Swingler.
  • Pages: 664
  • ISBN 978-0-9870046-5-9
  • Suggested retail price: R215


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  • Loes Rogers on 24 November 2015

    Glad to hear that the Platter's Wine Guide has been launched, but when oh when will we be able to buy it in the shops in Middelburg, Mpumalanga. Am every year looking for it as a Christmas present for my husband. We are 5 couples who have a little wine group, and the starters of the club are still members, since November 1985. This all started because going to a restaurant we did not know which wines we liked on the menu in a place. We have learned a lot about wines and now people ask us what is nice to drink. Thanking you, Mrs. L. Rogers

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