KWV takes great pride to be counted among the very best of South Africa’s wines in the annual Platter’s by Diners Club South African Wine Guide 2021. With only a handful of wineries that can claim the coveted 5-Star rating in this wine guide, KWV is honoured to announce that four of its wines, and six of its brandies, achieved this outstanding accolade.

Platter’s is one of South Africa’s longest standing wine guides and highlights the quality of wines and spirits determined by a seasoned group of professional tasters. Wines and spirits which achieved a score of 95/100 or more are considered 5-Star. These 5-Star producers are generally considered to represent the pinnacle of South Africa’s wine and spirit industry.

This year, four of KWV’s wines are represented in this apex: The Mentors Canvas 2017 (95 points), The Mentors Perold 2017 (96 points), The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2018 (95 points) and Classic Collection Cape Tawny NV (95 points). Last year, both The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2017 and Classic Collection Cape Tawny also received 5-Star ratings from the Platter’s guide, a repeat performance which showcases KWV’s remarkable consistency.

These ratings also illustrate KWV’s commitment to its consumers, providing consistent value and quality in each of its varied wine portfolios. The Mentors is KWV’s flagship range and is establishing itself as one of the most sought-after premium brands in South Africa. KWV’s Classic Collection portfolio provides exceptional drinking pleasure at an affordable price point and nowhere is this more evident than with KWV’s Classic Collection Tawny – a fortified wine made in the classic Tawny Port-style which is gaining a reputation as one of SA’s best examples in the category.

Not to be outdone by its wine counterparts, KWV’s award-winning brandies once again illustrated why they are some of the best examples in the world. Included in this top echelon of 5-Star achievement is KWV’s super premium Centenary brandy, officially South Africa’s oldest brandy with a portion distilled in 1926. While not retasted this year, this brandy holds strong at an almost perfect score of 99/100. Leaving no doubt why this distillery has on numerous occasions claimed the title as the World’s Best Brandy & Cognac Producer at the International Spirit Challenge as well as at The International Wine and Spirit Competition, other KWV brandies also edged close to the 100-point mark: the Nexus (95 points), KWV 20 Year Old (96 points), KWV 15 Year Old Alambic (97 points), KWV 12 Year Barrel Select (95 points) and KWV 10 Year Old Vintage (95 points) all came remarkably close to a perfect score. KWV Master Distiller, Pieter de Bod, said that he is “incredibly proud of this remarkable showcase of outstanding quality, made possible by his team of distillers and their uncompromising approach to achieving only the best for KWV’s consumers”.

KWV Chief Winemaker Justin Corrans said “Every major achievement is a boost for KWV and its winemaking team, who without fail, commit themselves in providing our consumers with excellence, and excellence only. Acknowledgement like these most recent awards from the Platter’s wine guide is, therefore, a win for us purely because we know we succeeded in our main goal: to consistently delight our consumers! A commitment which is especially important to highlight as consumers are about to embark on their festive breaks – a time when everyone deserves to find 5-Star joy in their wine purchases.”