Overhex Wines International is proud to announce that its Survivor Sauvignon Blanc 2017 was awarded Gold at the recently concluded Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show (OMTWS) – considered one of South Africa’s toughest wine competitions. This result was announced at a lavish lunchtime awards ceremony on 29 May at the Mount Nelson in Cape Town. What makes this victory even more noteworthy is the fact that the Survivor Sauvignon Blanc 2017, with an overall score of 93/100 was one of only three wooded Sauvignon Blancs awarded more than 90/100 in this category in 2018.
The OMTWS is respected for including not only South Africa’s most formidable wine judges, but also well-respected international wine judges who scrutinise close to 1000 top local wines to determine South Africa’s best. Meticulous attention to detail throughout the judging process is part of how the Trophy Wine Show maintains its reputation as one of the toughest and most rigorous events of its kind in the world. The competition is chaired by well-known and globally respected wine expert, Michael Fridjhon.
Nkulu Mkhwanazi, who judged on the OMTWS Sauvignon Blanc panel said: “Sauvignon Blanc is a big category and in South Africa the average wine drinker really loves Sauvignon Blanc.
I was really impressed with the quality of the wines. The few examples that were barrel-fermented I thought were really wonderful and I think there’s a bigger market. We should encourage the industry to make more wooded Sauvignon Blanc. I thought there was a lot more complexity. There was a lot more interest, purity, freshness and the wines really showed very well.”
Survivor Wines Sauvignon Blanc is a premium wood-fermented Sauvignon Blanc made from the premium Swartland wine region, where the soil and climatic conditions favour the production of smaller berries with concentrated flavours. A portion of 60% of the Sauvignon Blanc was fermented in stainless steel tanks, the juice was inoculated, and fermentation temperature was kept at around 12°C for three weeks. 40% of the Sauvignon Blanc underwent barrel fermentation in 100% first fill 500ℓ untoasted Sylvain French oak barrels.
Survivor Wines winemaker Ben Snyman said: “This is the first time we entered the Trophy Wine Show and I am exceptionally proud that we’ve had such positive feedback off the bat. This style of Sauvignon Blanc is influenced by my visits to Bordeaux, France, and it is a classic interpretation of a much-loved variety.”
The price for the Survivor Sauvignon Blanc is R110.00 and available at selected liquor outlets.