DURBANVILLE HILLS ANNOUNCED AS TOP PRODUCER

At the prestigious 2024 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Competition, Durbanville Hills was awarded as the Top Producer, achieving trophies for the best Cabernet Sauvignon, Bordeaux Red Blend and White Blend, two double gold awards and seven gold awards.

The competition is now in its 28th year and saw 1,555 entries – 1,388 wines and 167 spirits – representing seven countries, with fierce competition, particularly in the Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Cabernet Sauvignon categories.

The Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Competition is Africa’s largest wine and spirits competition with judges hand-picked from five continents – 17 international and seven South African experts – scoring the wines according to the 100-point scale.

The results for Durbanville Hills:

Trophies

Kuehne & Nagel Top Producer Trophy
FlySafair Cabernet Sauvignon Trophy – Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Castle of Good Hope Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Kuehne & Nagel Bordeaux Blend Trophy – Durbanville Hills The Tangram Red Blend 2020
FlySafair White Blend Trophy – Durbanville Hills The Tangram White Blend 2022

Double gold

Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Lighthouse Merlot 2021
Durbanville Hills Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2023

Gold

Durbanville Hills Barrel Finished Merlot Potstill Brandy 2012
Durbanville Hills Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Cableway Chardonnay 2023
Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Cape Garden Chenin Blanc 2023
Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Cape Garden Chenin Blanc 2022
Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve The Cape Mist Sauvignon Blanc 2023
Durbanville Hills Sauvignon Blanc 2024

The Durbanville Hills winemaking team is overjoyed by the cool climate area of the Durbanville ward, yet again delivering exceptional wines worthy of being centre stage.

Durbanville Hills Cellar Master Pieter-Niel Rossouw says that most of the winning wines were made by the late Martin Moore and his trusted two winemakers, Kobus Gerber and Wilhelm Coetzee, a tribute to his impact on winemaking in the Durbanville area.

“Martin had an innate sense of the unique terroir of the hills and valleys of the area, and to see several winning wines, especially Sauvignon Blanc – his favourite cultivar – performing incredibly well, significantly across three wine ranges, from the small boutique production of the Tangram, to the reserve Collectors Reserve range to the highly popular Durbanville Hills Sauvignon Blanc, one of the most popular Sauvignon Blancs in South Africa earned a gold, is heartwarming.”

“Sauvignon Blanc is a rather distinctive cultivar with its fresh acidity and aromatic flavour profile. This particular varietal thrives in the cool climate location of the Durbanville ward where the vines are situated only 10km from the ocean and cooled by the south-easterly breezes blowing in from nearby False Bay and the westerly breezes blowing in over the cold Atlantic Ocean from Table Bay.”

Durbanville Hills Managing Director Albert Gerber added, “It is incredible to honour Martin in this way, but at the same time we celebrate the influence and contribution of the two newcomers to the winemaking team, namely Pieter-Niel Rossouw (Cellar Master) and Tammy Claasen (Winemaker).”

“Our member farms also play a critical role in the quality of our wines. They share a rich history and build on the legacy of generations of wine growers in the Durbanville ward. Over the years, together with our winemaking team and viticulturist, they have identified the most suited areas to ensure each cultivar is matched to their ideal location and that only the finest, true to terroir grapes, reach our cellar.”