The top three Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon wine blends in the country are being celebrated today at the second annual RisCura White Hot wine awards, hosted by global financial services provider, RisCura and wine critic, Christian Eedes.

This year’s winners are completely different to those of last year. In the top three, each achieving a 5-star rating are Highlands Road Sine Cera 2012 originating in Elgin, priced at R95 a bottle; Morgenster 2013 from Stellenbosch priced at R174; and Nitida Coronata Integration 2013 from Durbanville at R125 a bottle. 

Of Highlands Road Sine Cera 2012 Christian Eedes notes that it’s a particularly elegant wine with lime, white peach and blackcurrant on the nose. “The palate meanwhile shows weightless intensity, good fruit concentration and really vibrant acidity. A little white pepper on the finish adds interest.” 

Of Morgenster 2013 Eedes says it has a hugely complex nose showing blossom, lime, white peach, black currant and some attractive oak spice. “This wine is seamlessly assembled with excellent fruit concentration and fresh acidity before a long, savoury finish.”

And lastly, Nitida Coronata Integration 2013 boasts citrus, white peach, fynbos and subtle vanilla on the nose. “This wine is full bodied and deep flavoured on the palate before a long, saline finish – a dramatic exposition,” Eedes says. 

“It’s year two of the RisCura White Hot Wine Awards and it was again a fantastic tasting – overall quality was really high. It's still a niche category but the wines really deserve wider recognition and hopefully this competition will go some way to doing that,” he adds.

This year the awards attracted 41 submissions from 33 producers, which totals three more producers compared to last year. 

Wines were tasted blind by a panel of judges on 18 August. The panel consisted of Christian Eedes as chairman, along with two of his trusted colleagues, namely Roland Peens and James Pietersen of Wine Cellar, a Cape Town firm that brokers and cellars fine wine.

“More than half of the wines that were submitted for consideration this year scored four stars or higher,” says Albrecht Gantz of RisCura. “We look forward to enjoying and recognising these Bordeaux-style white blends today and at future White Hot wine awards.”