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Vergelegen is First South African Winery to Win Top New World Wine Award
12/15/05
Wine Enthusiast Magazine Selects Vergelegen from 57 Main Street Imports as 2005 "New World Winery of the Year"
Garden City, NY, December 15, 2005 – In a first for the wine industry and the history books, Vergelegen wines of Stellenbosch, South Africa has won the coveted 2005 New World Winery of the Year Award from Wine Enthusiast Magazine. The award is a first for South African wines and for New York trading company 57 Main Street Imports, the exclusive U.S. importer of Vergelegen and a longtime advocate of the Cape wine category. Wine Enthusiast Magazine's editors based the Wine Star Awards on outstanding contributions to the world of wine and spirits, with particular emphasis on achievements in the year 2005.
“Winning this award among such distinguished company is resounding confirmation that 347 years after the first grapes were officially pressed at the Cape, Vergelegen and the South African Wine Industry have matriculated onto the global, ultra-premium wine stage,” says Peter Morales, President & CEO of 57 Main Street Imports, whose company introduced Vergelegen wines to the U.S. market in early 2005. “We are proud to represent Vergelegen, and to contribute to the emergence of the Cape wine industry as a key participant in the global wine forum. Vergelegen has long been regarded as a gem among Cape wineries, deserving recognition for world class winemaking, as well as their leadership in fostering social upliftment, biodiversity, and sustainable agricultural practices.”
“Vergelegen has won numerous awards in international markets, but it is truly an honor to achieve this distinction in the same year that our wines have been introduced to the U.S. market,” adds Don Tooth, Managing Director of Vergelegen. “Given the outstanding selection of wineries from Australia, New Zealand, and South America that we compete against, the vote of confidence that Wine Enthusiast has bestowed on our Cape wine industry is monumental. It is truly an honor to be a part of wine history.”
Vergelegen, meaning "situated far away," has a storied history dating back to 1685. Once owned by the first Dutch governor of South Africa, Simon Van der Stel, the property passed through several prominent families before its acquisition by the world-renowned Anglo American Corporation, global producers of gold (AngloGold Ashanti), platinum (Anglo American Platinum), and diamonds (De Beers Consolidated). As the current stewards of this national treasure, Anglo-American has invested significantly in enhancing every aspect of Vergelegen – from the vineyards to production and global distribution – and under the craftsmanship of winemaker André van Rensburg, Vergelegen has produced a succession of award-winning wines, recognized among the finest in the world. Among other international awards, Vergelegen has twice won the prestigious Pichon Comtesse de Lalande Trophy for “best blended red wine in the world” at the 2001 and 2003 International Wine and Spirits Competition in London.
Vergelegen Wins New World Winery Award Vergelegen wines and the winners of the 2005 Wine Enthusiast Wine Star Awards will be honored by the leading members of the wine and spirits industry at a gala, black-tie awards ceremony at the New York Public Library in New York City on Monday, January 23, 2006 to benefit wine education and will be featured in the December 15 "Special Awards" issue.