The hotly anticipated Tim Atkin South African Special Report 2022 has just been unveiled. KWV is proud to feature on this British Master of Wine’s ‘Podium’ list – reserved for the top wines and performers from South Africa’s winelands. As testament to the inherent value and quality of KWV’s wines, the KWV Classic Cape Tawny NV was announced as the Best Value Fortified Wine of the Year with a score of 93/100.
Last year KWV also featured on The Podium list when its Chief Viticulturist, Marco Ventrella, was named Viticulturist of the Year.
Atkin is a UK-based Master of Wine (MW) who annually conducts a rigorous assessment of South African wines. His report is widely accepted as a benchmark of quality. This year is the tenth edition of the South African Special Report, for which 2 828 wines were tasted from 433 wineries. KWV is therefore immensely proud that in addition to the achievement of its Classic Cape Tawny, a further sixteen of its wines were granted a top score; a score of 90 or more points out of a possible 100.
Unmatched value
KWV’s Classic Range of wines are known for providing an affordable drinking experience of an award-winning standard. The Classic Cape Tawny NV is no exception. This port-style wine is a wood-matured blend of Tinta Barocca, Cinsaut, Souzão, Touriga Nacional and Shiraz. “The KWV’s fortified wines are massively underrated,” notes Atkin in his report, adding, “this Cape Tawny, made from components that are at least 20 years’ old, is a cuvée of seven different red and white varieties. Spicy, tangy and complex, with fig, date and Christmas cake flavours and a rancio undertone.”
Atkin also mentioned that KWV’s Cathedral Cellar portfolio offers incredible value, noting that the Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay 2021 is “one of a number of great-value wines under the Cathedral Cellar umbrella”. The Cathedral Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2021 was singled out as a wine that “delivers an awful lot of flavour for its price point.” Both these wines received a rating of 91/100.
Inherent quality
Six wines from KWV’s premium The Mentors portfolio achieved a 93-point rating. These are The Mentors Cabernet Franc 2020, The Mentors Chenin Blanc 2021, The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2021, The Mentors Limited Edition Nebbiolo 2017, The Mentors Perold 2020, and The Mentors Petit Verdot 2020. Scoring 92/100 were The Mentors Canvas 2020, The Mentors Orchestra 2020, and The Mentors Pinotage 2020.
Laborie Blanc de Blancs MCC 2016 and Roodeberg Dr Charles Niehaus 2020 were rated 91 points. Cathedral Cellar Triptych 2019, Laborie Brut MCC NV and Roodeberg 1949 2019, complete the balance of KWV’s ‘Medals of Excellence’ tally, with a score of 90/100.
Atkin noted that he is “amazed by the remarkable progress” the country has made since his first report issued in 2013. He urged producers “to take great pride in Brand South Africa”.
Chief Winemaker at KWV, Justin Corrans, said that the wine team is encouraged by Atkin’s report: “At KWV we are driven to provide consumers with exceptional value. This value is achieved by producing wines that are consistently recognised for their quality. KWV’s scores in this latest South African Special Report reflect and reinforce this goal. We are truly pleased that we can reward our consumers with wines deemed ‘excellent’ by international standards.”
KWV’s top scoring wines with tasting notes by Tim Atkin in the South African Special Report 2022:
2021 | KWV Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay | Western Cape | 91 |
2021 | KWV Cathedral Cellar Sauvignon Blanc | Darling | 91 |
2019 | KWV Cathedral Cellar Triptych | Western Cape | 90 |
NV | KWV Classic Cape Tawny | Western Cape | 93 |
2016 | KWV Laborie Blanc de Blancs MCC | Western Cape | 91 |
NV | KWV Laborie Brut MCC | Western Cape | 90 |
2019 | KWV Roodeberg 1949 | Western Cape | 90 |
2020 | KWV Roodeberg Dr Charles Niehaus | Coastal | 91 |
2020 | KWV The Mentors Cabernet Franc | Stellenbosch | 93 |
2020 | KWV The Mentors Canvas | Western Cape | 92 |
2021 | KWV The Mentors Chenin Blanc | Paarl | 93 |
2021 | KWV The Mentors Grenache Blanc | Coastal | 93 |
2017 | KWV The Mentors Limited Edition Nebbiolo | Stellenbosch | 93 |
2020 | KWV The Mentors Orchestra | Western Cape | 92 |
2020 | KWV The Mentors Perold | Coastal | 93 |
2020 | KWV The Mentors Petit Verdot | Stellenbosch | 93 |
2020 | KWV The Mentors Pinotage | Stellenbosch | 92 |