South African Airways (SAA) announced its annual Wine of the Year Awards at a gala dinner held at Southern Sun Cape Sun hotel on Saturday, 8 April. The awards were made in four categories: white wines, red wines, Cape Tawny and Méthode Cap Classique wines. The Chief Executive Officer’s Award and the Chairperson’s Award for the most exceptional wines of the year were also presented
The winners were as follows:
Wine of the Year (Méthode Cap Classique): Simonsig Estate, Kaapse Vonkel Brut, Pinot Noir/Chardonnay/Pinot Meunier (NV)
Wine of the Year (White): Bayede Marketing, King Shaka Chenin Blanc 2015
Wine of the Year (Red): Overhex Private Cellar, Survivor Red Blend Fairtrade 201
Cape Tawny Award: KWV South Africa, KWV Cape Tawny
CEO’s Award (Most listings): Overhex Private Cellar (9 listings)
Chairman’s Award (The most wine in litres): Overhex Private Cellar, 105,344 litres
In addition to presenting these annual awards, the airline announced the selection of locally produced wines that will be served on its flights and in its Business Class lounges over the next 12 months.
Winemakers from across the country submit wines for consideration every year, so the selection represents the very best vintages that South Africa has to offer. Each entry is scored after a blind tasting, and the results are compiled by both internal and external auditors. The airline selects 24 white and 24 red wines from more than 500 submissions. Different wines from the annual selection are allocated for service on board on a month-to-month basis.
Our South African wine selection is fundamental to our passengers’ flying experience and is a unique added value. It is an important aspect of marketing our product offering to passengers worldwide. – Kim Thipe, SAA’s Head of Marketing.
Nine local judges and three international judges were responsible for this year’s selection.
