Top 100 is now delighted to share publically the eagerly awaited results of the Top 100 SA Wine List Challenge 2012. The launch event was held at 5-star Rodwell House, St James, Cape Town with canapés and bubbly accompanying the certificate ceremony.
We have pleasure in sharing the images of the event with you
Highly regarded QUALITY AWARD judges included Higgo Jacobs, Mia Martensson, Kent Scheermeyer, Jenny Ratcliffe-Wright and Chairman Jörg Pfützner.
Pfützner quotes ' The impeccable 100 point scoring system placed objectivity at the fore. The winners are entirely appropriate given the discipline of judging process.'
Added Jacobs ' The time and attention given to each list and entry form is unparalleled in SA and marks the professionalism of the Top 100 approach to aiding quality assessment in the wine and hospitality industry.'
A topical innovation was the inclusion of a VALUE AWARDS category with consumer specialist judges Maryna Strachan, Dax Villanueva and Harry Haddon in attendance too.
Dax and Strachan concurred, stating 'It's highly appropriate to put the consumer first by assessing carefully the absolute value of good quality wines on each list. To earn a VALUE AWARD, establishments had to achieve a minimum score of 80% of the criteria. Very hard to achieve, a great accolade for the 13 winning restaurants.' Added Haddon ' this is a very prestigious award, and next year we will look with care at including relative value in addition to absolute value'
This is both a significant and a strategic step for the Top 100 business. The brand continues to build on its high ground position. Top 100 drives with assertion, vigour and effect the promotion of accessible fine-wines.
Winning restaurants and establishments will gain entry into the Top 100 2012 book edition along with the winning vineyards. They will also promote the Top 100 books via in-house bookstands, as do vineyards. Similar marketing and promotional efforts will apply consistently across both restaurant and vineyard stakeholder groups. The books are distributed throughout SA through over 500 venues as well as in the UK, EU and USA.
CEO Robin von Holdt noted: 'The 33 quality awards winning establishments are at the top of their game. The Wine List protocol and judging strategy contained unique and valuable innovations designed to demyth the bunk. It aids both establishments, as well as the consumer, to make sound decisions that are based on accuracy and on simple fact. The judging panels unquestionably represent the pinnacle of SA's consulting sommelier talent. The Top 100 SA Wines - 'Wine List Challenge' will undoubtedly become the premier annually judged wine list event in South Africa.' Read more
