The winners of the inaugural Rosé Rocks competition have been announced, with Tamboerskloof Katharien Syrah Rosé 2015 named the overall winner.

The 160 Rosé and MCC Rosé wines were evaluated by a panel of judges, which was chaired by Woolworths’ Allan Mullins. Wines were tasted blind, without information provided about the vintage, wine estate, and technical analysis. The results were audited by Grant Thornton South Africa.

Mullins said about Rosé Rocks: ‘The range of wines to taste was remarkable and the judging was no easy task, which just goes to show what an amazing wine category Rosé has become in South Africa.  The Rosé wine category in South Africa has a fantastic future and Rosé Rocks competition has put it in the spotlight‘.

The Rosé Rocks results are as follows:

Top 10 Rosé wines in South Africa 2015:

Arabella Pink Panacea 2015

Brampton Rosé 2015

Eagle’s Cliff Shiraz Rosé 2015

Fat Bastard Pinot Noir Rosé 2014

Noble Hill Mourvèdre Rosé 2015

Noble Savage Cabernet Sauvignon Rosé 2015

Signal Gun Rosé 2015

Slanghoek Vinay Rosé Natural Sweet 2015

Tamboerskloof Katharien Syrah Rosé 2015

Warwick The First Lady Dry Rosé 2015

Top MCC Rosé wines in South Africa 2015:

First place: Villiera Woolworths Brut Rosé

Second place: Klein Optenhorst Pinot Noir 2012 MCC

Third place: Plettenvale Brut Rosé MCC

Cavalli Estate’s Pink Pony Rosé was the winner of the Best Designed label for a Rosé wine, judged by Abigail Donnelly of Taste and chief judge of the Eat Out Awards; Jessica Ross, Deputy Editor of House & Leisure; and interior designer Liam Mooney.

Noble Hill’s Kristopher Tillery said that Rosé production and sales have grown rapidly in over the last three years in our country, given Rosé’s versatility and suitability for our country’s warm summer climate. The Noble Hill Mourvèdre Rosé is made from a single vineyard of less than one hectare located on the estate in Simonsberg-Paarl. ‘Mourvèdre has traditionally been used for the production of high quality rosé wines in Provence. The rosé stands out with a beautiful salmon pink colour and a bit of orange peel on the rim. The wine elicits aromas of rose water, strawberries, watermelon, and black currant. It has a crisp, dry finish‘, said Tillery.

Source: wine.co.za, Noble Hill

Chris von Ulmenstein, Whale Cottage Portfolio: www.whalecottage.com  Tel (021) 433-2100 Twitter:@WhaleCottage  Facebook:  click here