EDITORIAL
Wine and Spirits: Everybody Loves a Michelangelo Winner Wine and spirits lovers in Southern Africa have never had it so good. With the Western and Northern Cape regions of South Africa making the best wines in the history of an industry dating back to 1659, and with over 8 000 brands to choose from, those who love wine find themselves in a blissful space. Add to this the dynamic local distilling industry making gin, rum, brandy and other elixirs and drinks lovers are in one happy place. But, as experienced and new-generation drinkers know, not all wines and spirits are created equal. Even the most opinionated boffin will admit to now and again requiring some guidance as to a certain wine’s quality and provenance. And this is why the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Competition has been the leading indicator of wine excellence since its inception in 1997. “When Michelangelo began 22 years ago, there were literally only a few hundred wines and spirits available on the market,” says Lorraine Immelman, founder and CEO of the Michelangelo Wine and Spirits Awards. “The growth of the South African wine and spirits industries, as well as its customer base in Namibia, Botswana and other parts of Southern Africa, has seen Michelangelo’s influence growing. For the simple reason: consumers know that the bottles of wine bearing
the Michelangelo prize-winning stickers not only stand-out on the shelf aesthetically, but those wines and spirits have been adjudged to be of exceptional quality. With the plethora of drinks available, the Michelangelo seal of excellence has become a more important indicator of quality than ever.” Sure, there are a number of drinks competitions run out of South Africa. But what has made Michelangelo such an authoritative and unique show? What causes close on 2 000 wine and spirits producer to religiously enter their beloved products into this competition with the hope of winning one of the cherished medals or trophies? “The challenge I had from the outset was how to make Michelangelo stand out by being the pre-eminent show in terms of judging,” says Immelman. “Although it was – and still is - a great expense and logistical challenge, I decided that to make the competition a cut above the rest we had to rely on a judging corps of which the majority are wine experts from outside South Africa,” she says. “For last year’s competition, for example, 28 wine and spirits experts from 22 countries including France, Spain, Germany, Holland and Great Britain came to South Africa for the sole purpose of judging the 1 600 entries we received. “These judges, including sommeliers, journalists, Masters of
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MARCH 2018 | FLAMINGO