OAK VALLEY WINES CONTINUE TO EXCELL ON THE INTERNATIONAL WINE AWARDS STAGE

Source: Manley Communications

ROBERT MONDAVI, the visionary winemaker and marketing genius from California, may well have had Oak Valley Estate in mind when he penned the wise words “Making good wine is a skill, fine wine is an art”, in his autobiography, ‘Harvests of Joy ’. This award-winning Elgin wine estate is fast becoming one of South Africa’s leading fine wine producers – a fact which was highlighted when they recently added yet more medal-ware to their ever-expanding trophy cabinet.

Oak Valley’s Pinot Noir 2008 has won a Gold Medal and the Regional Trophy in the over £10 class at the 2010 Decanter World Wine Awards in London. These accolades follow hot on the heels of Oak Valley’s Gold Medal at the prestigious International Wine Challenge (IWC) for its 2009 Chardonnay.

Sauvignon Blanc 2009 - Elgin

With its outstanding achievements at the Decanter World Wine Awards, the Oak Valley Pinot Noir 2008 has qualified to compete with one American and one New Zealand pinot noir for the International Trophy to be announced in September 2010. The 2008 vintage has already won gold at the 2009 Mondial du Pinot Noir and a Diamond Award at the 2009 Winemakers’ Choice Awards.

The Oak Valley Chardonnay 2009 was the only South African chardonnay to win gold at the IWC and has been nominated to participate in the 2010 Tri-Nations Wine Challenge – which pits the best SA wines against their counterparts from Australia and New Zealand.

The Decanter World Wine Awards unveiled a record number of nearly 11 000 entries this year, more than double the number at the first competition seven years ago. Only 2,86% won a Gold Award or Regional Trophy.

Winemaker Pieter Visser describes the 2008 Pinot Noir as “poised elegance”. “It flatters with red berries, brambles and pomegranates on the nose, is smooth on the palate and teases with a lingering finish. It also boasts an impressive structure.”

The IWC, is recognised as the world’s most prestigious and influential independent wine competition and also had a record number of 46 wine producing countries entering this year. Of the 4 026 medals awarded, only 326 were gold.

“The month of May has been an abundant one for the team at Oak Valley and we were thrilled to learn that we are the winners of a pair of top international awards,” says Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen, Owner of Oak Valley Estate. “The Oak Valley Pinot Noir 2008 was the Regional Trophy Winner at the 2010 Decanter World Wine Awards, following the Gold this wine was awarded at the Mondial du Pinot Noir in Switzerland in September 2009. This tells us that the vineyard, planted in 2000, is really settling down and producing fruit of better and better quality.

“A recent vertical tasting of Oak Valley Pinot Noir from the first vintage in 2005 to the 2009 (which has only just been bottled), suggests that the pinot noir grape will play a integral role in Oak Valley’s wine future.

“A similar prediction can be made for the future of chardonnay on Oak Valley – where the 2009 vintage was South Africa’s only Gold medal winner at the 2010 International Wine Challenge in London. This is the second time that an Oak Valley Chardonnay has achieved this accolade – the first time having been for our 2006 vintage.

“Grapes for both the 2009 and the 2006 come from one of the first commercial vineyards planted on the farm in 1992. The track record for this block is now firmly established and we look forward to future successes for our coming chardonnay vintages.”

ABOUT OAK VALLEY ESTATE
Founded in 1898 by Sir Antonie Viljoen, Oak Valley Estate has become an agricultural landmark in the Western Cape, which to this day is still a family owned and operated farming venture. Under the helm of great-grandson Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen, Oak Valley Estate has grown into a dynamic agricultural enterprise which produces top-class award winning wines, cut flowers, deciduous fruit, grass-fed beef, free range acorn-fed pork.

Oak Valley - Elgin

Sir Antonie Viljoen was somewhat of a farming pioneer, and amongst his many farming achievements was the establishment of the first commercial deciduous fruit orchards in the Elgin Valley. Similarly it was his decision to plant the first substantial area of vineyard for wine grape production in the valley and in 1908 he decided to commission the first wine cellar in the area too.

Today, Oak Valley Estate is still an ever evolving agricultural enterprise and Anthony Rawbone-Viljoen continues in his great-grandfather’s traditions by being at the forefront of agricultural advancement for not only the estate but the Elgin Valley.

The first wine produced on the Oak Valley Estate was in 2003 when Pieter Visser produced the maiden Oak Valley Sauvignon Blanc. This maiden vintage was a “hit straight off the bat” for Pieter who has been with Oak Valley since 1993 and who had studied horticulture & viticulture at Elsenburg.

While Oak Valley is a relatively new entrant to the South African wine industry, it has made great strides in the market since the launch of its first wine in 2003 and today the estate produces five wines, with plans for further expansion. The Oak Valley range of wines includes a Sauvignon Blanc, a Chardonnay, a Sauvignon/Semillon blend (The OV), a Pinot Noir and a Bordeaux styled blend, known as The Oak Valley Blend.

Forty-nine hectares of vineyards, dating from 1992 to the present time, are managed by Visser and his team. The wines are products of the exciting new cool climate Elgin Ward – which is rapidly attracting the attention and investment from a number of leading South African winemakers.

AWARDS & ACCOLADES
Many of the Oak Valley wines have been consistently well-rated by the market:

• the 2005 Sauvignon Blanc won Gold and the Regional Trophy at the 2006 Decanter World Wine Awards.
• the 2004 Oak Valley Blend won the International Trophy for Bordeaux Styled Blends over £10 at the 2007 Decanter World Wine Awards.
• the Oak Valley Blend was also voted the best SA Bordeaux style blend of the 2004 vintages by Wine Magazine.
• the 2006 Oak Valley Chardonnay won gold at the 2008 International Wine Challenge in London and was the only SA label to do so.
• Since the first sauvignon blanc was produced in 2003, all Oak Valley’s wines have consistently been rated 4-stars or better in the authoritative Platter wine guide.

The wine tasting room on the estate is set in lush surroundings adjoining an oak forest, and is open Monday to Friday from 08h30 to 17h00 and on Saturday mornings from 10h00 to 14h00 and out of hours by appointment only. Tastings are conducted free of charge.

For further information on Oak Valley Estate call (27) (21) 859 4110; email wines@oak-valley.co.za; or visit www.oakvalley.co.za

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