2018 Platter guide launched at Table Bay Hotel

Records were hit with 111 Five Star wines being awarded this year. Congrats to Raats Family Wines, who walked away with the coveted Winery of the Year award, with 5 of their wines achieving 5 stars, and 3 more allocated to Bruwer Raats' partnerships, viz Mvemve Raats and B Vintners.(his cousin Gavin Bruwer Slabber)

The first 5 wines are from Raats Family Wines, then B Vintners (2) and Mvemve Raats (1):

The prestigious Red Wine of the Year accolade was awarded to last year’s Winery of the Year, Nederburg Wines, for their Two Centuries Cabernet Sauvignon 2014.

White Wine of the Year was handed to The Foundry for the Grenache Blanc 2015.

Unfortified Dessert Wine of the Year was awarded to Klein Constantia Estate for Vin de Constance 2013;

The inaugural Fortified Dessert Wine of the Year went to Beaumont Family Wines for the Starboard Dessert Wine NV.

Congratulations also to Richard Kershaw - as he has four 5-star wines this year!

I have been attending the Platter launch for most of the 21 years I have been in the industry, with the first  ones taking place at the lovely calm rural Devon Valley Hotel. Over the years it has moved a few times, to Capelands just outside Somerset West, and then the Vineyard Hotel. It has always been a very intimate affair, with a few very amusing tidbits from previous publisher Andrew McDowell and Philip van Zyl, who would regale us with stories of the new and bold and different for the year.  This year was in fact Philip's 20th edition of Platter - a major achievement!
Because of the large number of Five-star recipients, each winery was not called up on stage to receive their award. They were called out in groups of 10, and there was no real opportunity to see who they were and to give each of them a well-deserved round of applause.  I am usually critical of awards dinners going on for too long, but I really think these wineries deserved just a little more time in the limelight.
The evening started had quite late, with us milling about for quite some time before the announcements. I think that this time could have been better spent somehow acknowledging the top wines and wineries. It is always tricky to find the right balance, but I think these top wineries deserved just a little more time to shine.  For those who have had many years of achieving 5-star status it was perhaps less of an issue, but for those first-timers I think it was disappointing.

Notwithstanding, South African wines are showing an exponential increase in quality and value and hearty congratulations go to all these top end wineries and wines.
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