IWSC 50th Anniversary Awards Banquet

To London, day after we flew home from Las Vegas, for the annual IWSC Awards Banquet at The Guildhall.

The Pinotage Trophy was not awarded this year, but they created a 50th Anniversary Award - Outstanding Wine Producer - presented to Kanonkop Estate. 

Outstanding Wine Producer recognises a wine producer which has performed consistently well since the creation of the Winemaker of the Year award in 1984.

Kanonkop – recognised as one of South Africa’s greatest wines, especially for its renowned dry-farmed Pinotage – has won 15 different individual trophies at the IWSC and has won Winemaker of the Year four times.

L>R Sir George Fistonich, Abrie Beeslaar, Beyers Truter

The award was presented to Kanonkop winemaker Abrie Beeslaar by Beyers Truter in the presence of IWSC President Sir George Fistonich, of New Zealand's Villa Maria.

Beyers  won some of those IWSC Trophies when he was winemaker at Kanonkop before Abrie.

Abrie and Jeanne Beeslaar

Beyers Truter and Dr Winifred Bowman