The consistent, year-on-year supremacy of KWV wines reached stellar levels this week. Having received top honours as Decanter World Wine Awards’ Best in Show for the KWV The Mentors Cabernet Franc 2019 – one of just 50 wines worldwide out of a record 18 244 entries this year.  The Paarl winery was also showered with an additional 10 top-end medals making it one of South Africa’s most successful producers at the auspicious event.

Now in its 19th year, Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA) is the world’s largest and most influential wine competition, with unrivalled global reach. Judged by top wine experts from around the globe, the London-based DWWA is trusted internationally for its rigorous processes.

It is therefore significant that KWV makes a consistent appearance on its podium of winners every year. This year, 10 of its entries scored over 90/100 points. The highest scores were achieved by three wines from KWV’s The Mentors stable. They were the Mentors Cabernet Franc 2019 (97/100), which was one of just two from South Africa that won Best in Show; The Mentors Chenin Blanc 2020, which received Platinum and a score of 97/100; and, The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2020, which claimed Gold with a score of 95/100.

Alongside them as medal-winners were The Mentors Pinotage 2019 (91/100), The Mentors Petit Verdot 2019 (90/100), The Mentors Canvas 2019 (90/100), The Mentors Perold 2018 (92/100) and The Mentors Perold 2019 (91/100), and Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 (93/100), Cathedral Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2020 (94/100), and Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay 2020 (86/100).

“It is always gratifying to be recognised for quality at high-level shows such as Decanter,” says KWV head winemaker Justin Corrans. “To us, these achievements are significant because they show the quality of our wines across varieties, vintages, price points and regions from which fruit was sourced. This golden thread is at the heart of what we do and a credit to the team-effort that extends from the vineyards to the cellar.”

Commenting on the performance of The Mentors, a brand she has been involved with since establishment in 2006, winemaker Izele van Blerk says they reflected an unwavering dedication to the philosophy of The Mentors winery.

“Initially, The Mentors cellar was created as a space where we could push boundaries and tap into our collective winemaking knowledge. It led to ground-breaking experiments,” she says. “Today, it is the home of wines dedicated to being authentically terroir-driven.”

KWV wines are available around the world, and for purchase in South Africa at leading retailers as well as online at https://kwv.co.za/online-shop/. The wines may also be experienced at KWV’s wine emporium in Paarl.

For more information, contact the Emporium on 021 807 3007/8 or the_wine_emporium@kwv.co.za or visit www.kwv.co.za.