Diemersdal wins gold at first Concours Mondial du Sauvignon held outside Europe

In the 2023 Concours Mondial du Sauvignon competition, Diemersdal Estate won one of only 26 gold medals that went to South African producers.

The Concours gold medal went to the Diemersdal Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2022, a wine that last year drew spectacular accolades, winning an FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 spot, as well as double gold at the Veritas Wine Competition.

For this year’s Concours Mondial du Sauvignon, some 50 international wine experts travelled to South Africa to judge at this esteemed international wine show which took place in the Cape early in March this year. More than 1 210 wines from 20 countries were entered into the competition, the results for the 14th Concours Mondial du Sauvignon having been announced at the ProWein wine fair in Düsseldorf, Germany this week.

Thys Louw, Diemersdal proprietor and winemaker, says the gold medal Diemersdal achieved at this year’s Concours Mondial du Sauvignon was the cherry on top in a week that saw the world focussing on South African Sauvignon Blanc.

“Just to have Concours du Sauvignon taking place in South Arica for the first time and to be a part of welcoming the international judges to our winelands was already a privileged experience for Diemersdal,” says Thys. “This is the world’s most important competition for Sauvignon Blanc, the Concours brand being associated with global wine excellence. To thus have South Africa now a part of Concours du Mondial history is enough to create a winning feeling for any producer. And to see Diemersdal achieve a gold medalin all this is a welcome added bonus.”

With regards to the wine which took Concours gold, Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Reserve originates from the highest vineyards on the Durbanville property lying at 300m above sea-level. “This allows for direct exposure to the cool air-flows and mists from the nearby Atlantic Ocean, as well as being fanned by the brisk south-easterly wind in summer,” says Thys.