UK Wine Entrepreneur Wins Top South African Vineyard Experience Award
Benguela Cove Wine Estate in South Africa, developed by UK wine and hospitality entrepreneur Penny Streeter, was a standout performer in wine writer Tim Atkin’s 10th annual South Africa Special Report, released on September 6th, 2022.
The Walker Bay vineyard in the Western Cape won the Cellar Door Experience of the Year award and Medals of Excellence for all of its ten wine entries, with each wine achieving 90 or more points out of 100 for the second consecutive year. The wines are available in the UK online and through the shop at Leonardslee Lakes and Gardens, as well as at Restaurant Interlude and with afternoon tea at Leonardslee House.
Benguela Cove’s top achievers included its Vinography Semillon/Sauvignon Blanc 2021, awarded 94 points out of 100 – just one point short were its Sauvignon Blanc 2021, Sauvignon Blanc Noble Late Harvest 2020, and Vinography Chardonnay 2021.
The Benguela Collection wine and hospitality group is owned by the Streeter family. It was founded by Penny Streeter OBE in 2013, when she acquired and developed the 543-acre vineyard and residential estate at Benguela Cove, located on the edge of the Atlantic Ocean, at the start of the Hermanus Wine Route.
In the UK, the Streeter-owned Leonardslee Lakes & Gardens estate features a Sussex Wine vineyard, a Michelin Star restaurant and luxury vineyard hotel accommodation.
The 37-acre UK vineyard was first planted in 2017, to produce around 70,000 bottles from 2024 of sparkling wine cultivars, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Pinot Meunier, under the group’s South African winemaker, Johann Fourie. There is also a 3-acre plot with an experimental planting of Pinotage, for some 4,000 bottles from 2022.
Penny Streeter says: “We’re delighted to be selected for the top South African award from so many outstanding cellar door experiences in South Africa. It results from our commitment to ecotourism and the environment, as well as superb wines. Benguela is a unique destination, set in the UNESCO designated Kogelberg Biosphere; it's at the lowest height, at sea level, and with the longest seaboard of any vineyard in the world.”
The Cellar Door Experience includes Moody Lagoon restaurant, recommended in the Atkin report, and a popular wine-tasting pontoon tour with views across the tranquil lagoon, which is protected by a sandbar from the Atlantic Ocean. There are also cheese and chocolate pairings, winemaking experiences, and a programme of major art exhibitions, music and other year-round events, as well as children’s entertainment.
The estate winemaker Johann Fourie says: “As a producer selling internationally, it’s important to get Tim Atkin’s feedback not only because he knows South African wines so well but because they are judged in a global context and how they stack up against the best in the world.”
“Getting 90 plus across the grape varietals, both white and red, shows the diversity in terroir we are spoiled with at Benguela Cove. What is particularly pleasing is to see the scores of the wines creeping up year on year, which is a sign that we're constantly improving.”
The assessment for the Atkin report included a record 2,282 wines from 433 wineries.
“I sincerely hope that the reviews and scores in my report, as well as the Medals of Excellence given to producers whose wines have scored more than 90 points, will ensure that more people are made aware of the outstanding quality of South African wines. More than ever, we need to tell the world!” says Tim Atkin, MW.
For information UK www.benguelacove.co.uk
