‘Grand
Wines’ (or Grand Vin, as in French) are commonly regarded as the best a
producer has to offer – showing a level of intellectual or emotional
stimulation able to capture the consumer’s imagination and intrigue, if not
delight, the palate. ‘Grand Wines’ are ideally associated with a particular
area (the terroir principle), as well as a style or particular wine-making
philosophy. However, there is nothing wrong if some wines with unique nuances
reflecting a particular landscape and falling outside this restriction are part
of a ‘Grand Wines’ group. But, which wines could be considered for such a high
accolade?
All wine
competitions or magazine reviews reflect a once off opinion as a single vintage
tasting. In fact, producers have to enter to stand a chance of winning. It also
accounts for top wines featuring one year and disappear the next. But, that is
the nature of a once-off tasting. Then there is also the real chance that a 5
star accolade is a once-off thing as well. Top wine does not do that! Especially,
if cognisance is taken of the particular accolades bestowed on a wine, apart
from just a tasting opinion. And surely there should be some categorising too
to compare apples with apples. Price considerations would otherwise be of
little use.
Driven by a
desire to highlight the exceptional nature of South Africa’s top wines, SAWi (the
South African Wine Index) has applied its indexing methodology to data
available for ALL qualifying wines produced in South Africa. Ultimately, a
‘Grand Wine’ should simply stand ahead of its peers as a wine that exhibits the
best on offer, in the best possible way. While a number of wines are close to
being part of this selection, it do not yet show a clear and deserved pedigree
and track record.
In the four
years since it was first introduced, the Index has gained traction in South
Africa as a reliable and accurate tool that accommodates the often-criticised
vagaries of traditional wine competitions and today represents an aspirational
benchmark of quality. In
the process of building out a 10 year multi-vintage performance window for each
wine (based on the mix of SAWI criteria – a unique development in the wine
world), Here are the names of the wines that achieved a rating of 93 or higher,
and which make up the ‘South African Grand Wines Collection’.
The result
is not simply a list of great South African wines, but a collection that
commands the attention of the world, being very close to the very best South
Africa has to offer. The ‘South African Grand Wines Collection’ is undoubtedly
as close to a complete and unbiased list of top achieving wines as it is
possible to come. Using the ‘South African Grand Wines Collection’, the stage
is now set for South Africa to showcase its finest wines to the world’s luxury
consumers.
See the South African Grand Wines Collection here