In one of the most competitive line-ups in the 22 year history of the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirts Awards, South Africa’s winemaker and founder of Aslina Wines, Ntsiki Biyela, has good news to share. Aslina Wines has just been awarded a Gold Medal at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards for its Umsasane 2016 wine, a very special Bordeaux blend.
This latest award win for Aslina Wines is a very personal one for founder Ntsiki Biyela, as her Umsasane wine is named after her beloved grandmother Aslina. Her nickname was Umsasane, which means Acacia Tree a.k.a the Umbrella Tree which provides shelter in the Zulu language. The wine is a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc and Petit Verdot and has a bold structure, smoothness and complexity, all of which honour the characteristics of Aslina, the matriarch of Ntsiki’s family.
The Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards was established in 1997 as the only international wine competition in South Africa. The competition is unique in South Africa, in that all judges are hand-picked wine experts, representing all seven continents around the globe. Since the start of the Michelangelo, more than 165 different judges from 43 countries have served on the panels. Today, the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards is the largest wine and spirits competition on the continent and this year’s competition judging panel consisted of international judges hailing from five continents and 17 countries. The Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards is a totally independent competition and its primary objective remains to support local wine makers who are targeting international markets for exports, Through its international judges, the awards are able to determine whether the award winners’ wines will be well received both abroad and locally. The competition annually receives in the region of 2 000 wine, brandy and liqueur entries from both South Africa and international producers around the globe.
Find out more about Aslina Wines www.aslinawines.co.za