DGB Awarded “Best South African Producer” at ProWein for 2nd Year Running

By Admin | 23rd March 2023

For the second consecutive year and third time overall, DGB - South Africa's largest independent wine and spirit company - has received the acclaimed title of Best South African Producer from the Grand International Wine Award MUNDUS VINI.

Upon presenting the award, Christian Wolf, Tasting Director of MUNDUS VINI says they tasted over 7 000 wines for the competition which makes this one of the most comprehensive assessments of wine in the world.

The awards, now on their 32nd iteration, were presented at the ProWein - International Trade Fair for Wines and Spirits, in Düsseldorf, Germany on Sunday, 19 March 2023. It was here where executive chairman of DGB, Tim Hutchinson, accepted the award on behalf of the company.

“This award is testament to DGB’s commitment to producing premium South African wines of prestige. It is an honour to accept the award for the second year running, and we are incredibly proud of our team who are continuously hard at work in the wineries, cellars and vineyards. The award once again affirms our commitment to building South Africa as a premium wine destination on the global stage,” says Hutchinson.

The company - which boasts a portfolio of enviable South African wine brands including Boschendal, Bellingham, Brampton, Backsberg, Franschhoek Cellar, Fryer's Cove and the Old Road Wine Co – previously took home this coveted award in 2017 and 2022 (the show returning after a two-year hiatus).

In addition to the pinnacle accolade spot for Best South African Producer, DGB were also awarded the title of Best of Show South African Red Wine for the Bernard Series Bush Vine Pinotage 2019. An award given exclusively to the wines that have received the highest rating in their respective category. The award was accepted by Stephan Joubert, Group Winemaker at DGB.

"It’s incredibly humbling to have received this award, particularly as it’s for our South African variety of Pinotage,” says Joubert. " South Africa’s red wine continues to go from strength-to-strength in terms of its premium, quality offering, and we couldn’t be prouder to be recognised amongst our esteemed peers in this category."

The wine which received the highest honour, of a Grand Gold medal, forms part of Bellingham’s flagship “The Bernard Series” which comprises of a selection of hand-crafted boutique wines each with a stamp of unmistakable site-specificity and individuality – the particular Pinotage was hand-harvested from low yielding, unirrigated bush vines from the Cape’s Coastal regions.

The win further highlighting the company’s dedication to finding diverse pockets of excellence in the Cape geography, showcasing terroir expression through deliberate and detailed winemaking.

The two awards cap off a fantastic show for DGB’s portfolio which performed remarkably well across all categories. In addition to the Grand Gold, the company were awarded a further 20 Gold medals and 15 Silver medals by MUNDUS VINI. An impressive scoreboard which builds on the 11 Golds and eight Silvers received at last year’s show.

Andrew Harris, Marketing Director for Wine at DGB, sees the results received at ProWein as further proof of DGB's success in establishing and building world-class South African wine brands.

“We couldn’t be happier with the results our wines have achieved this year. It’s a testament to the remarkable efforts of our teams that we are not only taking home two prestigious awards, but that we have also significantly built on the results achieved in 2022. The medals show that at DGB we have an immense capability across both white and red wines and across all varieties as we have been awarded a Gold Medal in all major varieties. Further, it’s pleasing to see not only the successes of our longstanding and heritage brands but also the promise of our recent acquisitions, as well as our boutique and more experimental projects,” says Harris.

Of the medals received, Boschendal and Bellingham take top spots with six and five Golds respectively – both awarded across a range of styles and varietals. The former showing magnificent range with medals for their Cap Classiques, Red Blends and single varietal Pinotage and Chenin Blanc.

Rounding out DGB’s line-up of Golds are Brampton with three, Backsberg with two and Douglas Green, Franschhoek Cellar, Fryer’s Cove, Old Road Wine Co and Vineyard Friends with a medal each.