When Bonnievale Wines unveiled the latest vintage of its River Collection Sauvignon Blanc earlier this year, it was heralded as “one of the best” it had produced. Last week, the opinion was affirmed by an independent panel at the Veritas Awards, which bestowed a Gold medal on the wine – the River Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2021. This is the third Gold the wine has been awarded in major competitions this year.

At Veritas, the wine excelled in the competition’s second-most hotly contested category. Of the 1 285 entries this year, 150 were medal-aspiring Sauvignon Blancs. Only 23 received Gold or a rating of 90 to 92.9 out of 100.

The achievement follows a similar performance in July, when the Sauvignon Blanc received a Gold medal from Gilbert & Gaillard, publisher of an online guide to wine in France and 22 other countries. This was followed by Gold at the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirit Awards, where Sauvignon Blanc was the biggest category with 200 entries.

“These awards for our Sauvignon Blanc is very gratifying, not least because of the stature of the Veritas competition itself. It also vindicates greater wisdom that has been applied in the management of specific, outstanding vineyards over the past few years, and the support of our growers for this strategy,” says Bonnievale Wines chief winemaker Marthinus Rademeyer.

“Ultimately, our aim is to build quality in the vineyard and usher it intact, into bottle. This philosophy applies across the range, leading to enjoyable and world-class wines.”

The winemaking and viticultural team are enabled through the support of a large network of growers and their diverse vineyards. Akin to an artist’s palette, the diversity of micro-climates, elevations and aspects  – when matched with the right clones and varieties – are capable of exceptional fruit production.

Sharing Veritas honours with the Bonnievale Sauvignon Blanc were also the River Collection Chenin Blanc 2021, which won Gold too, and River Collection Chardonnay 2021, which received a Silver medal.

The recommended retail price for the River Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2021 is R61,00 per bottle – Bonnievale wines are available countrywide and available to order from its online shop at www.bonnievalewines.co.za.

The winery itself is situated on the outskirts of the town from which it derived its name and is situated 125km due east of Cape Town.

For more information about Bonnievale Wines, visit the website, phone on 023 616 2795 or email: info@roundseedacademy.co.za.

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