Boplaas Family Vineyards has claimed the trophy as producer of the country’s best Hanepoot wine at this year’s South African Young Wine Show, the oldest competition of its kind. Awarded this weekend, the trophy is the latest addition to over a dozen national champion titles received at this annual event over the years.
The show also awarded Boplaas awards as overall class winner for Hanepoot (Muscat d’Alexandrie) and Cape Vintage Port, the show’s reserve champion port of the year.
Furthermore, Boplaas showed its colours in the run-up to the competition at the Klein Karoo regional challenge, where both its Hanepoot and Cape Vintage Port were singled out as overall champions of the district.
The show, for wines from the current vintage year, saw 1 387 entries this year and were evaluated by 88 specialist judges on 14 panels. The awards were made at a gala dinner held in Stellenbosch with Boplaas represented by winemaker Margaux Nel.
“The Hanepoot is a very special wine to me,” she says. “The vines that produced it were planted some 30 years ago by my grandfather, Oupa Danie. They have a very low yield, but the quality remains outstanding, as this latest award confirms.”
In addition to being named SA champion for Hanepoot, Boplaas has won the national trophy for port 10 times in its history. It has also twice received the trophy for Sauvignon blanc and once in the category of red blends, with its Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon entry.
In producing the award-winning Hanepoot, fruit was harvested by hand at optimal ripeness and rested in open-top fermenters prior to vinification.
The result is a versatile, food-friendly fortified wine. It can be served with a host of dishes. This includes Cantonese cuisine; spicy Indian or Thai food; as an aperitif with canapés or patés; as accompaniment to roast duck or pork; as partner to desserts – such as traditional Malva pudding, fresh summer fruits or a selection of mild soft cheeses. Alternatively, serve the wine as a digestif, over crushed ice in a Martini glass or as mixer for a myriad of cocktails.
The Hanepoot and other awarded wines are available for purchase via the Boplaas online shop at www.boplaas.co.za, or at Boplaas’s several tasting rooms situated on the farm in Calitzdorp and along the Cape’s famous Garden Route.
For more information, visit the website, email to admin@boplaas.co.za or call 044 213 3326.
