Platter's by Diners Club South African Wine Guide 2022 is the perfect stocking filler...
By Admin | 24th November 2021
It's that time of year again! The Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide has been revealed and the recipients of its coveted awards revealed.
One question on everyone's lips is "what colour will the Guide be this year?" ...the answer is black and gold.
The 2022 Platter Guide is the 42nd edition and features well over 900 producers, merchants and brands, including 36 new ones, and over 8,000 locally produced wines, as well as brandies, husk spirits and sherry-style wines.
The trio of prestigious 'Winery of the Year' awards, the highest accolades bestowed by Platter’s has also been announced. The Top Performing Winery of the Year goes to the winery that achieves the most five star results after the annual final tasting round. This year the worthy recipient was Sadie Family Wines, with an unparalleled full house for the ten wines in their range. This is the third time Sadie Family Wines has been awarded this title by Platter's.
The Editor's award for 'Winery of the year 2022' went to Cape Winemakers Guild member Frans Smit and his colleagues at Spier, who have built what Platter's editor, Philip van Zyl, believes is needed in South Africa: a larger-volume producer with quality at both the premium and the volume ends of the market.
The Newcomer Winery of the Year was awarded to the producer who debuts in Platter’s this year and achieves the highest scores. The recipient of this award was Jolette Steyn’s The Vineyard Party, with a pair of sophisticated small-batch Semillon wines, one of which achieved the guide’s maximum five-star rating.
Of the 5-star-awarded wines, the top performers within each category receive the coveted accolade, Wines of the Year. This time there are 28 category winning wines. They are:
Cabernet Franc
Jordan Wine Estate Insiders Wine Club Private Collection 2019
Cabernet Sauvignon
Boekenhoutskloof Winery Stellenbosch 2019
Cinsault
Savage Wines Follow The Line 2020
Grenache Noir
ArtiSons The Phantom 2019
Merlot
Shannon Vineyards The Shannon Black 2017
Petit Verdot
Thelema Mountain Vineyards Sutherland Reserve 2019
Pinotage
False Bay Vineyards The Last Of The First 2020
Pinot Noir
Oak Valley Estate South Ridge PN 777 2018
Shiraz/Syrah
Boschkloof Wines Epilogue 2019
Tinta Barocca
Sadie Family Wines Treinspoor 2020
Red Blends, Cape Bordeaux
Spier Frans K. Smit CWG Auction Selection 2018
Red Blends, with Pinotage
Beyerskloof Faith 2017
Red Blends, Shiraz/Syrah-based
Sadie Family Wines Columella 2019
Red Blends, Other
Marianne Wine Estate Floréal 2018
Chardonnay
Creation Wines The Art of Chardonnay 2020
Chenin Blanc
Sadie Family Wines Mev. Kirsten 2020
Colombard
Naudé Wines Langpad 2021
Grenache Blanc
Rall Wines 2020
Sauvignon Blanc
Buitenverwachting Hussey’s Vlei 2020
Semillon
Anthonij Rupert Wyne Laing Groendruif 2020
White Blends, Cape Bordeaux
Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh 2020
White Blends, Other
Mullineux Old Vines White 2020
Méthode Cap Classique
Graham Beck Cuvée Clive 2015
Dessert Wine, Fortified
Orange River Cellars Omstaan Wit Muskadel NV
Natural Sweet
Klein Constantia Estate Vin de Constance 2017
Noble Late Harvest
Boekenhoutskloof Winery 2018
Vin de Paille/Straw Wine
Savage Wines Not Tonight Josephine 2020
Port-style
KWV Wines Cape Tawny NV
To view the list of Wines of the Year online, visit www.wineonaplatter.com/blog/news
Also noteworthy are 229 Highly Recommended wines, which narrowly missed five stars but are nonetheless extremely fine and collectable, earning a rating of 94 on the 100-point scale.
Philip van Zyl, acting managing director and editor of Platter’s, says: “The guide’s descriptions and ratings, compiled in association with a team of leading experts, make it easy to find the right wine for any occasion, while the good-value indicators highlight those bottlings which are especially budget friendly across all quality levels.
“Red and white wines showing potential for cellaring are flagged by means of the Cellar Worthy icon, while wines which tasters feel are particularly worthy of note, being interesting, attractive, unique, representative of an important trend or simply extraordinarily drinkable, are highlighted with the Hidden Gems icon.”
Platter’s 2022 is also packed with extensive information on where to go and what to do in the South African winelands. Cellardoor tasting options are covered in detail, along with many winery amenities, attractions and activities, plus dining and accommodation information in Cape Town and the winelands. GPS and What3Words coordinates, easy-to-use maps and quick look-up tables provide invaluable help for visitors planning their own wineland excursions, while listings of specialised wine tour operators offer a variety of alternatives for those who prefer a guided experience.
Fully updated notes on the major winegrowing regions, grape varieties, winemaking styles, wine tasting terms, and the major wine competitions and awards, as well as listings of wine educators country-wide form part of a wide-ranging offering.
As always, the guide is prefaced by an insightful and thought-provoking overview of important developments and trends in South Africa and the wider wine world.
This is the book you need for your stocking this year and it will be available shortly from selected bookstores, retailers nationwide and Amazon from 6th December 2021.
A subscription to the digital versions of the guide is available from www.wineonaplatter.com/products or the app stores:
Please note that a single subscription unlocks all digital versions.