Deetlefs Wines awarded TOP SCORES in the Tim Atkin 2018 Special Report

The following Deetlefs Wines were awarded top scores in the Tim Atkin 2018 special report which was release today:

96 points – 1974 Philippus Petrus Deetlefs Muscat d’ Alexandrie (Awarded in top 3 “Fortified Wines of the Year”)

93 points – Deetlefs Familie White 2017

92 points – Deetlefs Reserve Chenin Blanc 2017

92 points – Deetlefs Signature Malbec 2015

91 points – Deetlefs Voyage 3566.1 2017

91 points – Deetlefs Familie Red 2013

In his seventh annual guide to South Africa, award-winning British journalist and Master of Wine Tim Atkin contends that the 2015 and 2017 vintages have produced a brilliant series of wines that surpass anything in the country’s long history, and that they are “two of the best ever harvests” in the Cape.

At a time of political and economic uncertainty, Atkin argues that the wine industry is a cause for national optimism and pride. “The severe, three-year drought reduced yields severely in some regions,” he says, “but didn’t affect the quality of the wines, especially of the 2015 reds and the 2017 whites.” If anything, the smaller crops may enable South Africa to charge more in export markets. “The price of Cape wines is still too low for the long-term good of the industry. Growers and producers have to be able to make a living.”

This year, Atkin singles out Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon, white blends, Bordeaux red blends, Cabernet Franc, Cinsault and Syrah for special praise and also comments on the success of the Old Vine Project in drawing attention to the Cape’s heritage vineyards. “It’s vital that South Africa nurtures, promotes and protects this unique resource,” he says. “So many of the country’s best wines are sourced from old vines.”

Atkin’s 2018 South Africa Special Report runs to over 250 pages and is the product of two trips to the Cape this year, as well as further tastings in the UK and Germany, and includes: ·

• Top wines of the year (white, red, rosé, sweet, fortified and sparkling); ·
• Scores for nearly 2 000 wines, with retail prices in South African Rand, ranging from R40 to R25,000; ·
• 1 350+ tasting notes; ·
• Evocative photos of the winelands and winemakers; ·
• A list of the Cape’s best restaurants
• His 2018 classification of the 250 best South African wineries.