Creation Wines Shining Ever Brighter
Situated high up the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge near Hermanus, Creation’s vines climb the steep hills of Babylon Toren Mountain to a lofty altitude of 350 metres above sea level. Here they bask in generous sunlight, flourish in clay-rich soils and dance in the cool breezes blowing in from the nearby Atlantic Ocean. In fact, the vineyards are within 7 kilometres of Walker Bay and according to owners/winemakers JC Martin and Christoph Kaser these maritime conditions are fundamental to the distinctive quality of their wines.
Proof of this distinctive quality is the wide array of local and international accolades won by the Creation range over the past year. Rated No 1 on Frederic Dasse’s Top 10 Viognier List … placed among South Africa’s finest at the inaugural 2011 Top 100 SA Wine Challenge (the 2009 Syrah Grenache and 2009 Merlot) … ranked Top Merlot (out of 95 tasted) in the March 2011 edition of Wine Magazine … And the list goes on!
When Creation was awarded the coveted Veritas Double Gold for its 2009 Syrah Grenache blend, it only confirmed what those in the know have been predicting all along: This boutique Walker Bay winery is destined for greatness. Apart from glittering at the latest Veritas Awards (the Creation 2008 Bordeaux-style blend and the 2009 Merlot having won gold) Creation also distinguished itself by winning a Diamond Award at the Investec Winemakers’ Choice Awards for its 2008 Merlot.
Further feathers in the team’s cap have come from the Wine-of-the-Month Club: over recent months the 2009 Creation Rhône-style blend, the 2009 Creation Bordeaux-style blend, as well as the 2009 Creation Merlot featured as winners in their respective categories.
What’s more, Creation’s 2010 Sauvignon Blanc was recently chosen as one of only 20 South African estate wines to be listed in selected Woolworths stores. And when it comes to Syrah, the 2009 Creation Syrah was cited as a South African benchmark (along with Eagles’ Nest and Hartenberg) by wine industry guru Michael Fridjhon at Grape.co za.
Additional acclaim came from The Wine Gang (five of the UK’s most experienced wine critics). Upon tasting Creation’s offerings at the 2011 London International Wine Fair, they awarded the 2010 Pinot Noir a whopping 91 points and remarked: “All the wines from Creation Wines at the big Cape tasting impressed us, not least this youthful, intense Pinot Noir from Christopher Kaser and J.C. Martin …”
Now, with 2011 rapidly drawing to a close, Creation celebrates yet another clutch of accolades. The first comes from the Netherlands where the leading Wijnpers magazine has rated the 2009 Creation Syrah Grenache as well as the 2010 Whale Pod Syrah Malbec at the top end of their Top 100 South African Wines list. Locally, the 2009 Creation Syrah was awarded the Wine-of-the-Month Club Trophy for Best Syrah (tasted among 169 Syrah wines in a blind tasting). And then the 2011 Creation Viognier has proved its worth by being chosen for the prestigious SAA Premium Class Wine Selection. Hot off the press is the news that eight of Creation’s recent releases have been rated a whopping 4 to 4.5 stars in the 2012 John Platter Wine Guide.
Asked to comment on Creation’s ongoing achievements, Carolyn Martin (co-owner and marketing manager) said: “At Creation we are committed to harnessing our unique terroir on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge to its full potential. We don’t enter many competitions, yet accolades like these are highly encouraging.”
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