Starred wine on a Platter 21 August 2007

The Platter Guide announces its five-star winners

They're perhaps the most sought-after awards in the industry, the few wines awarded five stars by the annual Platter Guide - despite some grumblings about a lack of 'blind tasting' in at least the earlier stages of assessment, and helped a good deal by the presence of the guide throughout the year as a reminder of its high-achievers.

In terms of categories, the winners this year, to appear in the 2008 edition of the Guide, are undoubtedly white blends on the one hand, and, especially, 'ports' on the other. As these are widely recognised as strong points of the Cape wine industry this is no real surprise, but the lack of a few five-star winners among the chardonnays, and the ungenerosity towards the Bordeaux-style red blends will be eyebrow-raising to some. Not to mention that merely one shiraz getting the nod – but this is perhaps the most contentious category in Cape wine.

The wines awarded five stars achieved their status at a blind tasting held last week. All the available members of the Platter judging team (eleven of them, that is) assembled to formally assess the ninety-odd wines that had been nominated, and to vote on whether they should stick at the already exalted level of four-and-a-half stars or be raised that bit higher.

Also tasted that day were the candidates for the 'Superquaffer of the Year' – lower-priced and lower-rated wines thought to offer remarkable value for money. But this wine, as well as the 'Wine of the Year' will be announced only later in the year, when the Guide as a whole is launched. There will als be a "Winery of the Year' for the first time. Given that winemaker Duncan Savage this year bettered his achievement last year of two five-star wines by getting three, one would guess (without knowing all the criteria for the award) that Cape Point Vineyards should be a strong contender.

Meanwhile, we have the five-star winners, as listed below:

Cape Point Vineyards (Woolworths) Limited Release Sauvignon Blanc  2007

Steenberg Vineyards Magna Carta  2007

Cape Point Vineyards Isliedh  2006

Vergelegen White  2006

Sequillo Cellars White  2006

Cape Point Vineyards  Semillon  2006

Ken Forrester FMC Chenin Blanc  2005

Bouchard Finlayson  Tête de Cuvée Galpin Peak Pinot Noir  2005

Radford Dale Gravity  2005

De Trafford Shiraz  2005

Hartenberg Estate The Mackenzie  2005

Beyerskloof  Field Blend 2003

Edgebaston-Finlayson Family Vineyards  Edgebaston GS Cabernet Sauvignon 2005

Kanonkop Estate  Cabernet Sauvignon  2003

Axe Hill Cape Vintage Port 2005

Boplaas Family Vineyards Vintage Reserve Port 2005

De Krans Vintage Reserve Port  2005

JP Bredell Cape Vintage Reserve  2003

Boplaas Cape Tawny Port NV

Paul Cluver Weisser Riesling Noble Late Harvest 2006

Fleur du Cap Noble Late Harvest 2006

• The 2008 edition of the Platter Guide will be available from November 2007 from selected book shops and retail outlets, as well as the website. The recommended retail price this year is R139.95.