Double Gold for Douglas at Michelangelo Wine Awards

Our Douglas Green Chardonnay 2008 won a Double Gold Medal at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards.

Douglas Green, the enigmatic South African wineland character and a household name among wine-lovers world-wide, has shown that popularity does not have to detract from quality when it comes to making fine wine.

The Douglas Green Chardonnay 2008 finds itself in illustrious company as the owner of a Double Gold Medal courtesy of this year’s Michelangelo International Wine Awards held in Somerset-West over the week-end where only 52 of the 1,500 wines entered won Double Gold.

This follows on the same wines achievement earlier this year at the Concours Mondial de Bruxelles in Spain where it won a Gold Medal.

According to Pieter Terblanche, Douglas Green brand manager, a Michelangelo accolade is of especial significant as most of the judging panel consist of international wine experts from countries outside of South Africa. “Douglas Green has worked hard at offering consumers wines under a popular brand and reasonable price, but one which over delivers on quality,” he says. “The success at the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, as well as earlier this year at Concours Mondial de Bruxelles vindicates this commitment.”

Douglas Green’s strategy lies in sourcing best quality grapes from chosen vineyards spread over a large area of the Cape winelands. “The success of Douglas Green relies on partnerships, so this award belongs to the various grape growers, the cellars we use to make the Douglas Green wines, our winemaker Jaco Potgieter, viticulturalist Stephan Joubert and the Douglas Green Team in Wellington,” says Terblanche.

“Vineyard selection and our partnerships with growers enables Douglas Green to make 600 000 litres of this award-winning wine.

“The most important element in our whole ethos, however, is the consumer,” he continues. “And these Gold Medals prove that Douglas Green does not renege when it comes to offering the best possible quality at affordable prices. The Douglas Green Chardonnay 2008 is sold for below R35, allowing our customers to enjoy an internationally recognised wine without breaking the bank.”

Douglas Green winemaker Jaco Potgieter says the winning Chardonnay underscores the quality of the 2008 vintage. “The winning Chardonnay was made from grapes originating from the limestone-rich soils of Robertson,” he says. “It was an almost perfect vintage due to the preceding cold winter, wine in question shows bursts of sunny fruit. This is what South African wine is known for, and is something we at Douglas Green do best!”

Douglas Green’s Sauvignon Blanc 2009 won a Silver Medal at this year’s Michelangelo Award.