PLETTENBERG BAY winery Newstead Wines is the first producer outside of the traditional Western Cape winelands to be crowned overall winner of the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, South Africa’s leading competition focused exclusively on selecting the country’s top Cap Classique sparkling wines. In a ground-breaking announcement, Newstead MCC Blanc de Blancs 2015 not only took a double gold medal and the trophy for Best Blanc de Blancs, but was also named the Top Scoring Cap Classique at this year’s Amorim Challenge.
This is the 19thconsecutive year the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge was held, an event sponsored by the synonymous cork producer that is this year celebrating 150 years of crafting cork stoppers for the international wine industry. Some 121 entries were received for this year’s competition.
Newstead Wines, one of the pioneers of the Plettenberg Bay winelands on the Cape South Coast some 520km east of Cape Town, was founded by Doug and Sue Lund in 2006, with their first wines being made in 2012. Although Newstead’s Cap Classiques have won various accolades in the past, this is the first time the winery has featured at the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge. The award for this year’s overall winner, given to the wine that achieved the highest accumulated score from the five judges, is sure to herald-in a new era of recognition for the Plettenberg Bay wine region.
In the other categories, the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge Trophy for Best Scoring Brut Blend went to Klein Roosboom from Durbanville with the Klein Roosboom MarnéMCC Brut (n/v). Best Roséwas Franschhoek’s Anthonij Rupert Wines with its L’Ormarins Brut Classique Rosé (n/v), while the Graham Beck Bliss Nectar (n/v) saw this famous Robertson producer win the trophy for Best Demi-Sec Cap Classique.
A unique feature of the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge is the awarding of a trophy for Best Museum Class Cap Classique, presented to a wine of eight years or older. The winning wine in this category for 2020 was Lourensford Wines in Somerset-West for Lourensford Cuvée 101 2010.
FEATURED IMAGE: Anton Smal, winemaker at Newstead
