A Shiraz wine from Agter-Paarl has been named South Africa’s top Shiraz.
This according to the latest Shiraz Report, convened by Winemag.co.za and sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient is now out.
There were 99 entries from 82 producers, and these were tasted blind by a three-person panel, the scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
Eenzaamheid Shiraz 2020 received top marks of 96 for this Agter-Paarl wine of origin.
Eenzaamheid is owned by the well-known Briers-Louw family of Paarl.
The wine is described as a full-bodied wine with intense aromas of pepper, cloves, liquorice and cedarwood.
The bright acidity and big structure will facilitate good ageing potential to reach optimum drinkability in 6 to 10 years.
It retails for R195,00.
About the category
When it comes to Shiraz, two broad styles can be discerned, the first the overtly aromatic, medium-bodied but densely structured wines typical of France’s Rhône, and the second being the darkly coloured, full-fruited wines most famously associated with South Australia’s Barossa Valley.
Shiraz and Syrah are simply two names for the same grape variety, the former supposedly denoting wines of power and the latter wines of restraint.
But in reality it is not possible to make such a clear-cut distinction.
Shiraz is an important variety in South Africa, occupying 10% of the national vineyard at the end of 2021 (second only to Cabernet Sauvignon among reds) and it is to the country’s credit that it seems capable of making accomplished examples across the stylistic spectrum.
