STELLAR BRANDY JURY WILL PUT SOUTH AFRICAN BRANDY UNDER SCRUTINY AT VERITAS
Marking the debut of South African brandy at the 2010 Veritas Awards, an esteemed panel of international and local brandy specialists will congregate for the first time ever to sip, discuss and judge the noble spirit’s merits for coveted Veritas accolades.
Chaired by Dave Hughes, one of South Africa’s veteran international wine and spirits judges and himself a qualified distiller, the inaugural panel will be joined by international juror Denis Lahouratate, Cellar Master at the House of Bisquit Cognac. Hailing from South Africa, with vast international expertise are Dr Caroline Snyman, Kobus Gelderblom, Dr Andy Roediger, Dr Winnie Bowman and Brink Liebenberg.
In line with the Veritas judging system, respected as one of the most thorough in the industry, the experts will decide which brandies in their respective classes (standard, vintage and pot still) will be first to carry the distinctive Veritas symbol.
“Finally introducing a category of South African brandy to this prestigious 20-year-old national wine competition provides an excellent opportunity for our brandies that do so exceptionally well in major international competitions, to compete in a top local arena,” says Hughes. It will also showcase their greatness to local consumers through the resultant marketing and media attention.”
It also recognises the close synergy between wine and brandy. “The two, wine and brandy, rest side by side and often, to me, are so intertwined that it is difficult to tell where one ends and the other begins,” says Hughes.
Denis Lahouratate, Cellar Master, House of Bisquit Cognac, started his career in wine making in 1984 at Maison Joseph Mellot in Sancerre. In 1987, he became the Cellar Master of Lillet, a well-known French aperitif from Bordeaux. In 1995 he moved to Cognac as Cellar Master of Léopold Gourmel, a Cognac House focused on ‘natural’ elaboration. Since 2009, Denis is Maître de Chais (Cellar Master) at the House of Bisquit Cognac where his craft and savoir-faire from distillation to ageing are recognized.
Kobus Gelderblom, Chief Brandy Master KWV, sees Veritas opening up to brandy as a great opportunity for brandy producers to benchmark their own products against other SA brandies. savoir-faire Since 2000 Gelderblom has also been serving on the International Spirits Challenge in London as one of only 6 judges worldwide. Gelderblom oversees the total process of KWV’s brandy production from the wine to the bottle. As KWV’s chief brandy master he created the Best Brandy Worldwide no less than five times, also bringing home a cache of international accolades - 3 Double Gold medals, 23 Gold medals and 51 Silver medals – and doing so with only 7 products. These include KWV’s 3, 5, 10, 15, 20 year old potstill brandies, Imoya VSOP, as well as the current IWSC ‘Best Brandy in the World’ champion – the singular estate brandy, Laborie Alambic.
Dr Andy Roediger (PhD) Cape Wine Master, owner of the analytical laboratory of Roediger Agencies cc with a Doctorate in chemistry is a Cape Wine Master, Master of wine student, wine maker, lecturer for Cape Wine Academy and recipient of the second brandy award at Cape Wine Master graduation for best overall brandy student. Says Dr Roediger about brandy now being part of the Veritas awards: “seeing that South Africa does so well at the international shows in Europe, it is an excellent idea.”
Dr Caroline Snyman, Cape Wine Master, completed a degree in Chemical Engineering in 1996, went on to do an MSc and in 2004 completed a PhD in Wine Biotechnology. Both her MSc and PhD focussed on brandy research for the South African brandy industry. Her Cape Wine Masters dissertation focussed on the use of Mediterranean grape varieties in the new world. She joined Distell as Technical Manager: Spirits in January 2000. In this position she was closely involved in the production of Distell’s spirits portfolio and in the development of new spirits products, particularly brandy. In her current position as Business Director: Spirits she is responsible for the sustainability and profitability of Distell’s spirits interests. Past Chairman of the South African Brandy Foundation, she is now the deputy Chairman.
According to Cape Wine Master Dr Winifred (Winnie) Bowman it was very progressive for the Veritas Awards to include the brandy category, keeping it fresh, current and interesting. Bowman combines her passion for wine and brandy - honed in her student days and travels to international winegrowing areas – with her dedication to education. In her many-faceted career as physiotherapist, biomedical scientist with a PhD in Education, industry consultant, and part-time lecturer at Stellenbosch, she also teaches a course in International Wine at Varsity College. Recipient of the Van Ryn award for Brandy Excellence; she is a member of the Wine-of-the-Month selection panel, taster for the annual John Platter Wine Guide, and presents regular corporate and private wine tastings. She is a member of the Education Committee in the Institute of Cape Wine Masters (ICWM) and also edits the ICWM newsletter.
Asked what she brings to the Veritas brandy judging panel, Bowman does not hesitate: “A keen nose, palate and constant tasting and evaluating of a variety of brandy styles; and above all, a love for brandy.”
Brink Liebenberg, Group General Manager: Spirits Production at Distell welcomes the new category for this truly South African product which is such an integral part of the local wine industry. Qualified in engineering and commerce, his career change came when he was initially appointed as an engineer in Distell’s spirits production department, which kindled his interest in brandymaking. As group general manager of this division he worked alongside the likes of brandy master Johan Venter, learning about SA brandy and global spirits products. Seasoned in presenting comparative brandy tastings, he was co-responsible for the development of several new spirits products for the local and international markets. In his time as technical manager he presented the section on brandy to the University of Stellenbosch Oenology students as well as the Van Ryn’s Advanced Brandy Course to Cape Wine Master students amongst other.
The brandy judging will take place at the Nederburg auction complex in Paarl on 20 September and the results will be announced at a gala banquet on October 8th at the Cape Town International Convention Centre.
For more information visit www.veritas.co.za. Veritas manager Elsabe Ferreira can be contacted at tel (021) 807 3104, fax (021) 863 2079 or e-mail elsabe@veritas.co.za.
