MICHAEL FRIDJHON: The fine difference between a win and a place
Michael Fridjhon finds out what pushed the winners from this year's Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show over the edge
In the past two decades almost half of the total number of grape growers in SA have given up viticulture. In the past couple of years about 10% of our wineries have closed. The Cape wine industry is in constant attrition. Unsurprisingly, it is also intensely competitive.
To keep ahead of the rest of the pack requires reflection, innovation, investment and luck. Sometimes it’s about taking a different approach to fruit sources: for example, those who early on embraced the difficult but rewarding world of old vine fruit are now reaping rewards. Sometimes it is literally a tweak in how to handle the fermentation, or the approach to what the French call elevage — how you “bring up” the wine between fermentation and bottling. ..
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