While South Africa’s disabled athletes were scooping medals at the Paralympic Games in Beijing, the country’s wine prowess was also on a winning streak, with Nederburg cellarmaster Razvan Macici and his team winning gold at the 2008 International Sweet Wine Challenge in Australia. This achievement came the same week that Nederburg earned the biggest cache of Grand d’Or medals at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards. The ‘Sweet Wine Challenge’ represented South Africa’s single gold medal – one of only ten awarded worldwide – for the 2007 vintage of Nederburg’s Noble Late Harvest, which also earned a Michelangelo Grand d’Or, demonstrating a consistent ability to perform, irrespective of the platform, said global marketing manager, Rudolph du Toit. Nederburg did exceptionally well on this year’s Michelangelo, raking in four Grand d’Ors, three golds and 15 silver medals. In so doing it indicated a capacity for excellence across the range – from everyday to speciality connoisseur wines. That is not where the kudos end for Nederburg, however. The winery was judged most successful producer on the Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show earlier this year and also won the Lexus WINE Shiraz Challenge.
