IN what has been described as one of the most competitive line-ups in the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards history, the 2 000 wines and spirits entries from 22 countries were judged by 24 international and six South African wines and spirits experts. Lorraine Immelman, founder of the Michelangelo Awards, said: “the judges were unanimous in their view that South Africa was making the finest wines in its history.”
This year’s judges awarded a gold medal and Best Low Alcohol Wine in Category award to the 2021 Melita Chenin Blanc. This follows in the footsteps of Boland achieving another pioneering and innovative Chenin milestone with its 2019 Melita Chenin Blanc that was adjudged the Best Low/Non-alcohol Wine award winner last year.
Boland’s CEO Heini Smit at the time described Melita’s launch in 2020 as: “A truly remarkable and one of the few Cinderella stories .” He now adds: “This year’s gold medal again reaffirms both the consistent high-quality of the Chenin grapes that we receive from our dedicated grower members and the exemplary abilities of our dedicated and award-winning winemaking team.”
The 2021 gold gives continued momentum to the Trees-for-Bees programme as a first of its kind for the South African wine industry. Coupled with the Melita wine range launch, Boland implemented this milestone in 2020 through the Greenpop Foundation’s Forests for Life reforestation Cape-based project called The Bee Effect. The purpose was to raise and sustain awareness for the Cape and African honey bee species and the plant of honey bee forage trees. The Boland Trees-for-Bees programme is now widely acclaimed as a critical cog in the sustainability of ecosystems worldwide. In the meantime, leading SA bank Nedbank joined the Trees-for-Bees project in support of Boland Cellar as their long-term banking client, which gave further impetus to the programme’s longevity.
With all Boland wines now contributing to this historic milestone, the buzz for the Trees-for-Bees project is getting stronger by the day – and new records are set. The current total raised for Trees-for-Bees amounts to R264 078, planting 2200 trees. More information regarding this caring for nature project can be read here.
Fun fact: The name Melita has its origin in ancient Greek mythology and is derived from the goddess Melissa who was regarded as the keeper of bees and honey-making.
