Platter’s Top Awards for British Vineyard Owner

Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate at Hermanus in South Africa has achieved the 5-star top award for three of its wines and a further 4.5 stars for ten others in Platter’s 2023 South Africa Wine Guide. The Walker Bay region vineyard is owned by British wine and hospitality entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE, who also owns the vineyard estate at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens in West Sussex.  

The new edition of Platter’s by Diners Club Wine Guide was launched in Stellenbosch on Thursday 17th November 2022. Published in hardcover and digital formats, it features over 900 South African producers, merchants and brands and some 8,000 locally produced wines.  

Benguela Cove’s 5 star winners included Vinography Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, while Vinography Petit Verdot 2020 and Vinography Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc 2021 scored highest in their varietal categories to achieve ‘Best in Class’ status for South African wines. 

Benguela Cove cellar master Johann Fourie, who also established the group’s West Sussex vineyards in 2017 says: 

“For all our 13 entries for Platter’s to receive 4.5 stars and above is a huge achievement for a family-owned, boutique vineyard, in just five years since creating our own winery. We decided in 2016 to take full control over quality, and all the grapes used are grown, vinified and bottled on the estate. 

“We prioritise site-specific wines that showcase Benguela Coves’ unique terroir and the wine style it delivers. The diversity of slopes and soils and exposure to prevailing winds bring out the best in each varietal, while Benguela Cove's special location on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean produces a distinctive character.” 

The Platter’s result follows a string of recent successes for the estate, which include three double golds in the Veritas Wine Awards, a platinum award for its Chardonnay in the Michelangelo Wine and Spirits Competition, and best Semillon and best single vineyard wine accolades in the Novare SA Terroir Awards. 

Benguela Cove is a World Wildlife Fund for Nature Conservation Champion, committed to the standards of Wines of South Africa and its Sustainable Wine South Africa programme. It is located in the UNESCO-designated Kogelberg Biosphere, is at the lowest height, at sea level, and has the longest seaboard of any vineyard in the world.  

Featuring a private residential area, popular hospitality attractions and now luxury holiday villas since October 2022, Benguela Cove has become an international ecotourism wine destination since the Streeter family acquired the estate just ten years ago. It recently achieved the Cellar Door Experience of the Year award and ten Medals of Excellence in the Tim Atkin, 2022 South Africa Wine Special Report.  

Leonardslee Vineyard Estate, Sussex 

Penny Streeter’s goal at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens has been to create a unique Sussex vineyard experience that includes vineyard tours and tastings, Michelin Star dining and classic afternoon tea, luxury accommodation and walks in the Grade I Listed gardens. 

Planted by the great Victorian plant collector Sir Edmund Loder, 'The Finest Woodland Gardens in England' are set within the historic 240-acre estate, which features rare flora and fauna and outstanding scenery throughout the year. 

Leonardslee has two Sussex Wine vineyards. The main site is located alongside at Mannings Heath, three miles away. The 37 acres of vines were planted in 2017 and 2018, with grape varietals Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier. The first harvest was in 2020, and in 2024 the estate will release its first sparkling wine. It will produce some 70,000 bottles of traditional method sparkling Sussex Wine. 

The second vineyard is planted inside the garden estate at Leonardslee overlooking the South Downs. Here, a 3-acre plot features Pinot Noir and an experimental planting of Pinotage adjacent to Leonardslee House. This is the first commercial planting in the UK of Pinotage, which is typically grown in the warmer climate of South Africa. 

www.benguelacollection.com 

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Editors notes

Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens is a family-owned vineyard estate, near Horsham in West Sussex, which features ‘the finest woodland gardens in England’, Grade I Listed, as well as a Michelin Star restaurant and luxury vineyard accommodation.

The 240-acre estate was established by Sir Edmund Loder, the great Victorian plant collector, and now includes a Sussex Wine vineyard, with the first release of Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier sparkling wine in 2024.

The estate features outstanding displays all year round. In the spring this includes rhododendrons, azaleas, camellias, magnolias and bluebells. The collection is exceptional in its diversity and maturity, with several rare ‘champion’ trees, threatened in their natural habitat.

The gardens offer a protected ecosystem for rare wildlife such as Emperor Dragonflies and Damselflies, White Admiral and Purple Hairstreak butterflies and migratory and native birds - Kites, Great Tits, Tree Creepers, Nuthatches, Woodpeckers and Nightingales.

The estate reopened in April 2019, following acquisition and two years’ intensive work by entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE to restore the woodland gardens after eight years of closure and neglect under previous ownership. It was the largest garden restoration project in the United Kingdom since Heligan 30 years before.

Since further restoration work in 2021, visitors can also stay in the luxury vineyard hotel after dining at Restaurant Interlude in Leonardslee House, the Grade II Listed Italianate mansion house, to experience the Michelin Star multi-course tasting menu created by chef Jean Delport.

Visitors can review a unique dolls house exhibition that depicts the Edwardian estate and neighbouring villages at 1:12 scale. They can then enjoy a classic afternoon tea in the mansion house, making for a great family day out. It is one of the top places to visit in Sussex and is open all year round except Christmas Day.

For great days out, there is an extensive programme of entertainment that includes winter garden illuminations and light trails, wine and beer festivals, photo and art exhibitions, live music events, cooking and gardening demonstrations, arts and crafts fairs, modelling and toy shows, and children’s events and adventure trails.

Vineyards –

Leonardslee Estate: Acquired 2018 - 3.1 Acres - 2018 First vines planted - 4,000 Estimated bottles Experimental planting of Pinotage - 2022 First estate Pinotage

Mannings Estate: Acquired 2017 - 34 Acres - 2017 First vines planted - 70,000 Estimated bottles Sparkling wine cultivars 60% Chardonnay, 30% Pinot Noir and 10% Pinot Meunier - 2024 First release of wine