Shiraz Report 2019
By Christian Eedes, 20 August 2019
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The inaugural Shiraz Report is now out. 83 entries were received from 67 producers for this year’s competition. These were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by the three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
The top 10 wines (with rating alongside) are as follows:
Cederberg 2017 – 93
Creation Reserve Syrah 2017 – 94
De Grendel Elim 2017 – 95
Julien Schaal Walker Bay Syrah 2017 – 93
Kleinood Tamboerskloof Syrah 2016 – 94
Lammershoek The Innocent Syrah 2017 – 93
Luddite 2014 – 93
Old Road Wine Co. Limited Release 12 Mile Syrah 2017 – 93
Simonsig Mr Borio’s 2017 – 94
TSW Syrah 2017 (Trizanne Signature Wines) – 94
To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top 10 and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, download the following: Shiraz Report 2019
To view a photo album from yesterday’s announcement function, click here.
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Doug30 August 2019
Christian. I will come to your defense with a plausible reason why your Shiraz competition yielded so many high scoring wines. It is highly likely that those Shiraz producers in the middle and low range who doubted the ability of their wines to achieve recognition quite simply did not bother to submit their wines for scrutiny. Therefore, the wines under survey are not representative of the entire spectrum of SA Shiraz and yielded predominately high scoring wines.
Mike20 August 2019
Yet not a single wine considered ‘Extraordinary or Profound’? i.e. nothing worthy of 96 points or more?
Christian Eedes21 August 2019
Hi Mike, At Winemag.co.za, we work with the following guiding principles when it comes to scoring: 88-89 points is roughly equivalent to a bronze medal or “good everyday drinking”; 90-92 silver medal or “particularly noteworthy” and 93-plus gold medal or “excellent”.
Scores of 95 and up are reserved for the world’s very best wines and are not to be awarded haphazardly – in the case of the Shiraz/Syrah, SA is surely capable of such wines, Porseleinberg 2017, which I rated 96, a recent case in point but this was not entered into the tasting for the report, participation obviously at the discretion of the individual producer.
Mike21 August 2019
Thanks for the explanation, Christian. Although according to the rating definitions on your website, 90 to 92 is equivalent to “excellent”, with 93 to 95 defined as “outstanding”, better than excellent.
Colin20 August 2019
45 scores of 90 and higher. That’s 54% of the entries. That’s an Oprah moment right there… “you get a 90! You get a 90! Everybody gets a 90!
Is the category really THAT strong?
Christian Eedes20 August 2019
Hi Colin, Stronger than Merlot or Pinotage for sure…
consumer20 August 2019
but the market is asking for merlot… and couldn’t care less about the ratings.
Kwispedoor20 August 2019
Yes, Consumer, the market is indeed constantly asking for merlot, but the market also asks/asked for McDonalds, Justin Bieber and TV soaps…
Kevin R21 August 2019
Bieber lol (crying)
Colin20 August 2019
Don’t you think it is then incumbent on you to be stricter in your judging? You’re forever going on about score creep.
Christian Eedes21 August 2019
I think the high number of 90+ wines reflects on the growing sophistication of the South African wine industry rather than the panel being too lenient (there were far more 3.5 Star/mid-80 point wines a decade ago). This is an appropriate and necessary development if we are to be globally competitive.
Colin21 August 2019
Come on Christian – that’s a crap argument. You scoring wines 90 isn’t going to make them more competitive internationally.
Christian Eedes21 August 2019
What I mean to say is that SA wine needs to meet a minimum standard of quality if the industry is going to survive and ultimately prosper.