The Vitis Vinifera Awards is a prestigious competition that celebrates some of the best local wines. So, it is always a great privilege to be recognised and awarded for our range of premium wines.
This year, we received Gold for not only one but two of our Rosendal wines. Since the competition is judged by a panel of qualified consumers, the competition truly highlights the calibre of wines in South Africa.
This year, the two wines that were highlighted were our brand new Barony Freyja Malbec and our Reserve Hilltop Shiraz.
The Freyja Malbec is the first in the Rosendal collection and was named after one of the Norse Solar gods who is associated with love and beauty. This is a dark and sensual wine with powerful notes of boozy Christmas cake, cocoa, cherry, warm spices and herbs. The wine offers typical Malbec traits on the palate, with luscious black fruits, great structure, and a generous mouthfeel. The structure and flavours of the wine means it is the perfect wine to pair with chicken kebabs or a lean ostrich burger with a blue cheese souffle.
The Hilltop Shiraz is a classic in the Rosendal collection, with years of prestige and awards. The style of Shiraz leans toward a Syrah style wine, with typical Rhone Valley characteristics. The nose is exceptionally fragrant with notes of violets, coffee and oak. On the palate, you can expect incredible complexity with subtle plum, liquorice and fruit cake flavours. The flavours in the wine means it is the perfect companion to most meat dishes, but marinated pork ribs work incredibly well with our Shiraz.
While the Malbec sold out within a few months of its release, the Shiraz is still available. Be sure to get yourself one of these collectables and experience the quality that Rosendal has to offer.