While many South Africans may be left high and dry and have been attempting to savour the last few drops of their favourite bottle of wine amid an alcohol ban, the world still appears to be recognising our greatness in the field of winemaking.
Two Western Cape wineries have each been awarded the prestigious Green Emblem by the Robert Parker Wine Advocate for their sustainable methods of production, reports Business Insider.
Reyneke Wines in Stellenbosch and Sadie Family Wines near Malmesbury both received the green stamp of approval, beating out a host of wineries around the world.
What’s the deal with Robert Parker?
While we’d all like to think we know a thing or two about wine, we’ve got nothing on wine critic Robert Parker. Parker is celebrated for his epic palette, tasting methods and ground-breaking 100-point rating system, making him one of the world’s highest authorities when it comes to fine wines. Needless to say, getting the seal of approval from this guy is an incredible honour.
Alongside The Wine Advocate, a respected bi-monthly publication that features reviews and scores various wines from the legend himself, they have introduced the Green Emblem list. This list recognises 24 wineries from around the world that have “demonstrated extraordinary efforts in the pursuit of environmentally friendly practices.”
“Our new Organic and Biodynamic filters and the Robert Parker Green Emblem recognitions are our way of recognising the increasing importance to wine consumers of sustainable practices in wine production,” stated the publication’s Editor-in-Chief Lisa Perrotti-Brown.
Unfortunately, it may be a while before South Africans can taste the elegant and robust notes of these incredible wines. According to the wine association Vinpro, wineries have lost an estimated R8 billion in sales thanks to the three previous alcohol bans. The association has recently approached the courts, launching an urgent interim application to help save the South African wine industry.
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Picture: Instagram – CactuSoup