Award history.
When we released our first wines in 2000, it was decided to enter all local competitions. Whilst we thought our wines were exceptional, we wanted to see what the judges thought. Competitions entered were the SA Young Wine Show, Veritas, Michelangelo, Wine Magazine, Winemakers Choice and the Fairbairn Trophy Wine Show.
Our first release was the 2000 Sauvignon Blanc. This wine received a Double Gold at Veritas, and a Gold at Michelangelo. This same wine in 2007 at the Wine Magazine tasting of white wines older than 5 years received 4.5 stars, showing the ageing potential of the white wines at Rijk’s.
Our second wine released was the 2000 Pinotage. Awards received were a Double Gold at Veritas, a Double Gold at Michelangelo, and the Pinotage Champion of the Year at Wine Magazine.
The awards just kept coming for all our wines.
Wine competition philosophy.
Elegance, finesse, complexity and concentration of fruit, together with aging potential are what we strive for in our wines at Rijk’s. In 2005 we changed our competition policy. There were far to many wine competitions. Few local wines did not have some or other sticker on the bottle with an award.
As more than 50% of our wines were exported, it was decided to only enter competitions that had local and international judges. This includes the Michelangelo International Wine Awards, the Fairbairn Trophy Show, Wine Magazine, and South African Airways. Whilst we don’t agree with the policy of the Platter Wine Guide, where wines are tasted only by one person and not blind, wines are also submitted to them. Interestingly, the Michelangelo International Awards Competition is where we have been consistently successful winning “The Best Wine of the Competition” 3 times in 9 years. They only have international judges selected from 14 different wine making countries. This is important to us as we need to understand the international palate.
List of some of our Doble Gold and Gold Awards
| S A Young Wine Show | Absa Pinotage Top 10 |
| shiraz 2001 – gold | pinotage 2000 |
| chardonnay 2004 – gold – trophy winner | pinotage 2001 |
| pinotage 2004 – gold | pinotage 2002 |
| merlot 2002 – gold | pinotage 2004 |
| Veritas | Swiss Air International |
| sauvignon blanc 2000 – double gold | chardonnay 2003 – first class |
| pinotage 2000 – double gold | cabernet/merlot 2002 first class |
| chenin blanc 2000 – gold | pinotage 2004 first class |
| pinotage 2002 – double gold | both wines selected for first class |
| chenin blanc 2002 – double gold | KLM Airline |
| chenin blanc 2000 first class | |
| Wine Magazine | chenin blanc 2002 first class |
| pinotage 2000 champion of the year | |
| super chenin club status for only 3 cellars | Air France |
| pinotage 2000 – 4.5 stars | chardonnay 2000 first class |
| pinotage 2002 – 4 stars | |
| shiraz 2001 and 2002 – 4 stars | South African Airways |
| chardonnay 2002 and 2003 – 4 stars | shiraz 2003 first class |
| cabernet sauvignon 2002 – 4 stars | bravado 2002 first class |
| chenin blanc 2003 – 4 stars | fascination 2006 first class |
| semillon 2004 – 4 stars | chenin blanc 2007 first class |
| fascination 2006 – 4.5 stars | sauvignon blanc 2007 – first class |
| chenin blanc 2002 tasted in 2007 – 4.5 stars | fascination 2007 – first class |
| chenin blanc 2006 – 4 stars | |
| chenin blanc 2006 – 4 stars | Emirates Airlines |
| Michelangelo International | semillon 2003 first class |
| sauvignon blanc 2000 – gold | semillon 2004 first class |
| sauvignon blanc 2001 – double gold | |
| pinotage 2000 – double gold | Le Rendevous du Chenin |
| the above wine won the trophy for best wine of competition | top 50 chenin blanc’s of the world |
| shiraz 2000 – gold | |
| semillon 2001 – gold | Platter Wine Guide |
| cabernet sauvignon 2002 – gold | cabernet sauvignon 2002 – 5 stars |
| chenin blanc 2002 – double gold | cabernet sauvignon 2004 – 4 stars |
| chardonnay 2003 double gold | shiraz 2002 – 4.5 stars |
| the above wine won the trophy for best wine of competition | shiraz 2003 – 4.5 stars |
| pinotage 2003 – double gold | cabernet 2003 – 4 stars |
| bravado 2002 – double gold | chenin blanc 2004 – 4 stars |
| shiraz 2003 – gold | chenin blanc 2005 – 4 stars |
| cabernet sauvignon 2003 – gold | bravado 2002 – 4 stars |
| merlot 2002 – gold | sauvignon blanc 2006 – 4 stars |
| the crossing 2005 – gold | semillon 2004 – 4 stars |
| pinotage 2004 – gold | semillon 2005 – 4 stars |
| shiraz 2004 – double gold | cab/merlot 2003 – 4 stars |
| above wine scored 99.6/100 and won trophy for best wine of the competition in 2009 |
chenin blanc 2006 – 4 stars |
| cabernet sauvignon 2004 – double gold | chenin blanc reserve 2007 – 4 stars |
| pinotage reserve 2006 – double gold | |
| pinotage 2005 – gold | Hong Kong International Wine Competition |
| sauvignon blanc 2007 – gold | pinotage reserve 2006 – best south african red wine |
| International Wine & Spirits, London | |
| pinotage reserve 2006 – best pinotage in the world |