Platter’s Top Awards for Benguela Cove

Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate has achieved the 5-star award for three of its wines and a further 4.5 stars for ten others in Platter’s 2023 South Africa Wine Guide.

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.

The Hermanus wine farm is located in the Walker Bay region and owned by entrepreneur Penny Streeter OBE. Cellar master Johann Fourie says:

“For all our 13 entries 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 and 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.

Platter’s 2023 Wine Guide Results

5 Stars:

·        Vinography Petit Verdot 2020 | Best in class | Highest scoring in the category

·        Vinography Sémillon Sauvignon Blanc 2021 | Best in class | Highest scoring in the category

·        Vinography Cabernet Sauvignon 2019 - 96 Points

4.5 Stars:

·        Catalina Semillon 2020 - 94 Points

·        Vinograpahy Syrah 2019 - 93 Points

·        Vinography Chardonnay 2021 - 93 Points

·        Benguela Cove Cabernet Sauvignon 2020 - 93 Points

·        Benguela Cove Pinot Noir 2021 - 91 Points

·        Benguela Cove Syrah 2020 - 91 Points

·        Benguela Cove Collage 2020 - 94 Points

·        Benguela Cove Chardonnay 2021 - 94 Points

·        Benguela Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2021 - 91 Points

·        Benguela Cove Joie de Vivre Brut 2018 - 91 Points

Ends

Editors notes

Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate is a vineyard and wine tourist destination located in the Walker Bay region of South Africa. The Benguela Collection wine and hospitality group is owned by the Streeter family. It was founded by Penny Streeter OBE in 2013, when she acquired and developed the 543-acre vineyard and residential estate at Benguela Cove, located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, at the start of the Hermanus Wine Route in the Walker Bay region. The cellar door, wine hospitality experience includes the Moody Lagoon restaurant and a popular wine-tasting pontoon tour with beautiful views across the tranquil lagoon, which is protected by a sandbar from the Atlantic Ocean. There are also cheese and chocolate pairings, winemaking experiences, and a programme of major art exhibitions, music and other year-round events, as well as children’s entertainment. Cultivars are Sauvignon Blanc 45%, Shiraz 25% and others. Acquired in 2013, 170 acres, First vines planted in 2004, 500 000 bottles produced per year.