VERITAS 2018

4 VERITAS AWARDS 2018

VERITAS AWARDS: 28 YEARS OF EXCELLENCE

Veritas, this year marking its 28th year, has earned the status as South Africa’s most trusted competition for market-ready wines and brandies. With close to 1 700 entries for the 2018 competition, producers have once again put their faith in the judging process of the oldest and most prominent wine contest of its kind in South Africa, dating back to 1991. This year saw 264 contenders winning 50 Double Gold, 219 Gold, 671 Silver and 559 Bronze medals. To taste wines at the Veritas competition, a judging accreditation is essential. In addition, overseas judges must have recognised international experience. The local team of judges consists of a variety of winemakers, researchers, academics, Cape Wine Masters, wine buyers, sommeliers, wine writers and consultants. Veritas strives to enhance the quality and professional execution of the judging process to continue the development and growth of this most reputable competition. While the inclusion of younger tasters, sommeliers and specialists with a commercial background on the tasting panels will always receive attention, the expertise and experience of senior judges will be continuously harnessed. The annual inclusion of internationally distinguished and experienced tasters contributes to the favourable reputation of this wine competition. This year, six esteemed international judges joined forces with the highly qualified Veritas group of more than one hundred local judges. For South Africa, this is a wonderful opportunity to create ambassadors for our wine in order to spread our wine message far and wide when they return to their respective countries. Local and international wine and brandy buyers put a high premium on the Veritas results as the stringent and unbiased judging standards by specialist panels produce trustworthy results that act as a reliable barometer of quality. Veritas will continue to fulfil its role as a consumer-oriented wine competition, run by the industry for the industry. It is the only competition in South Africa where consumers can rely on the availability of the award-winning wines, as one of the conditions of entry is that a minimum of 300 bottles must be available for sale at the time of the results being announced. For Noble Late Harvest, Fortified Wines, Cape Ruby/Tawny/ Vintage Wines and Brandy, the required quantities are less.