All three wines in Diemersdal Estate’s The Journal range achieved Gold medals at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards, recognised as one of the wine world’s most prestigious wine competitions which was held in London, this year for the 18th time. Decanter Gold medals went to Diemersdal’s The Journal Cabernet Sauvignon 2019, The Journal Pinotage 2019 and The Journal Sauvignon Blanc 2020.
Diemersdal is situated in the Durbanville wine region of South Africa and was one of the area’s first wine farms with a history dating back to 1698. It has been in the hands of the Louw family for the past six generations.
This year’s judging of the Decanter World Wine Awards took place last month at the offices of Decanter magazine at Canary Wharf in London. Over 18 000 wines from 56 were entered for this year’s awards, with 170 expert judges scrutinising the entries.
Diemersdal’s The Journal premium wine range was only released last year, with the award-winning Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Sauvignon Blanc representing these wines’ second respective vintages.
Thys Louw, Diemersdal’s owner-winemaker, says the achievement at Decanter was the fulfilment of the ambitions he had when conceptualising The Journal wine range.
“You are going out on a limb when conceptualising and introducing a range of wines of assumed top-tier status, which is where The Journal fits into Diemersdal’s portfolio,” says Louw. “The expectation to deliver something with a ‘wow!’ factor is great, especially from a wine estate where one family has been making wine for six generations, which is the case on Diemersdal. The achievement at this year’s Decanter World Wine Awards have thus vindicated the existence of this new range, as recognition on the world stage is something to which any top-tier wine wishes to aspire.”
All three wines in The Journal range are made from grapes grown on Diemersdal Estate for this premium range and subjected to meticulous detail and attention in the cellar.
“The Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage represent the rich red wine history of Durbanville, having been grown here by the previous generation of Louw winemaker,” says Louw. “The Journal Sauvignon Blanc is a nod to the contribution of the newer generation, as we only really began to focus on Sauvignon Blanc in the 1990s, and it is now Diemersdal’s most well-known grape variety.”
The supreme quality of this new range of wines and the craftsmanship with which The Journal wines are made are the result of Diemersdal’s tradition and its previous generations of wine farmers. “And as statuesque as these wines are, they will be reference points of Diemersdal’s terroir and the generations of Louw winemakers for those yet to follow in our footsteps on this property we call home.
“From now on, each vintage of The Journal will be wines honouring the pioneers who have created a proud heritage on Diemersdal for coming generations to further build upon.”
