TIM ATKIN: SUPERLATIVE WINE JUDGE
Towards the end of every year there is a flutter in the wine media as the Tim Atkin Report is published. But who is Tim Atkin and why do his ratings count so much?
Tim Atkin is a British Master of Wine (MW) and a highly regarded wine journalist, broadcaster and commentator, who is often invited to judge international wine competitions. With 40 years’ experience, this award-winning wine writer, photographer and Master of Wine contributes to a number of widely revered publications, including Harpers and Decanter. He is also one of the Three Wine Men with Olly Smith and Oz Clarke and co-chairman of the International Wine Challenge.
Every year, this UK based wine writer visits South Africa and tastes through many, many wines which culminate in the always eagerly anticipated Tim Atkin SA Report, a guide for wine collectors and enthusiasts alike. This is indeed an arduous task as each year, Tim tastes over 2000 wines from more than 400 wineries. To score above 90 points is worth noting, but a score above 95 is reserved for only the exceptional few, and scoring the perfect 100, is well-nigh impossible!
Through the last decade, Bosman wines regularly score above 90 points for several of our wines, but last year were thrilled to announce that, not only had all the wines we submitted scored above 90, but our Optenhorst Chenin Blanc 2023 scored 95 points, proving once again that this top wine, Old Vine wine deserves her starlight status.
Planted in 1952, it is the third oldest Chenin vineyard in the country, and winner of numerous accolades and awards deserves a place in your cellar.
Bosman Wines Top Scoring Wines:
Bosman Optenhorst 2023 95 points
Bosman Twyfeling Cinsaut 2022 93 points
Bosman Erfenis 2019 92 points
Bosman Fides 2022 92 points
Bosman Nero 2022 91 points
Bosman Adama Red 2022 91 points
Bosman Adama White 2023 91 points
Tim Atkin also gives awards in several broader categories, and last year, Bosman won Viticulturist of the Year, acknowledging the Bosman Adama Vine Nursery’s pioneering work in sustainably producing grafted vine cuttings and propagating resilient cultivar selections that improve the overall viability of the entire South Africa wine industry.
Atkin named Bosman Adama’s research “the most prominent transformation scheme in the winelands” for its work in developing drought- and heat-tolerant southern Mediterranean varieties for local producers to plant in response to climate change, and to minimise the industry’s carbon footprint.
What is Tim Atkin’s Wine of the Year?
In his most recent report, only one wine scored the elusive 100 points. According to Atkin, this single-origin, dry-farmed, old vine Chenin Blanc, the 2023 Alheit Vineyards Nautical Dawn “exemplifies a reflection of place and vintage rather than the imposition of style in the cellar. By sublimating his ego, Chris Alheit has succeeded in expressing authenticity in the bottle.”
“A perfect wine in every sense, this Chenin Blanc – the variety South Africa has made its own – is emblematic of the terroir-driven approach I have come to associate with the country’s most exciting winemakers and see as a crucial feature of the new post-modern Cape wine scene.”
In this report, Atkin also stated: “South Africa is incontrovertibly producing the greatest wines in its history.”
Also in this the 12th consecutive report three wines scored the close-but-no-cigar 99. These are the 2022 Porseleinberg Syrah and two wines from Sadie Family: Columella 2022 (a Syrah-dominated red blend of Mediterranean varieties) and Mev Kirsten 2023 (a Chenin Blanc). Both Porseleinberg and Sadie Family have been top scorers in past editions of the report.
So Alheit Vineyards was the obvious choice for 2024 Overall White Wine of the Year, while the Porseleinberg Syrah and the Sadie Family Columella shared the Overall Red Wine of the Year honour with Callie Louw of Porseleinberg winning Winemaker of the Year. These wines are both grown and made in the Swartland.
Atkin awarded Stephanie Wiid of Thistle and Weed the Young Winemaker of the Year award. Her Brandnetel Chenin Blanc 2023, made from Stellenbosch grapes, scored an impressive 96 points
This year’s Winemaking Legend award went to Günter Brözel. He emigrated to South Africa from Germany in 1956 at the age of 21 and was cellarmaster at Nederburg for 33 years. During this period Nederburg gained an international reputation for both excellent and innovative wines, particularly for his legendary wine, Edelkeur, a Noble Late Harvest.
TIM ATKINS SOUTH AFRICA REPORT 2024 AWARD WINNERS:
- Winemaker of the Year: Callie Louw of Porseleinberg
- Young Winemaker of the Year: Stephanie Wiid of Thistle & Weed
- Viticulturist of the Year: Bosman Family Vineyards
- Producers’ Cellar of the Year: Perdeberg Wines
- Winemaking Legend: Günter Brözel
- Best Cellar Door Experience: Ernie Els Wines
- Overall White Wine of the Year: 2023 Alheit Vineyards Nautical Dawn Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch
- Overall Red Wines of the Year: 2022 Porseleinberg Syrah, Swartland; 2022 Sadie Family Columella, Swartland
- Overall Rosé of the Year: 2023 Terblanche Family Vineyards Elmie Rosé, Stellenbosch
- Overall Sparkling Wine of the Year: 2018 Graham Beck Cuvée Clive Cap Classique, Western Cape
- Overall Sweet Wine of the Year: 2021 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance, Constantia
- Overall Fortified Wine of the Year: 2022 Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve, Calitzdorp
- Red Wine Discovery of the Year: 2021 Fairview Lanner Hill Syrah, Darling
- White Wine Discovery of the Year: 2023 Kruger Family Wines Karoo Chardonnay, Sutherland
- Rosé Wine Discovery of the Year: NV Vinevenom Shining Rosé No. 2, Swartland
- Sparkling Wine Discovery of the Year: 2016 Villiera Pithos CC, Stellenbosch
- Best Value White of the Year: 2024 AA Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc, Swartland
- Best Value Red of the Year: 2022 Mullineux Kloof Street Rouge, Swartland
- Best Value Rosé of the Year: 2023 Noble Hill Mourvèdre Rosé, Simonsberg-Paarl
- Best Value Sparkling Wine of the Year: NV Pongrácz Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique, Western Cape
- Best Value Sweet Wine of the Year: 2023 Van Loveren VRL Special Late Harvest Gewürztraminer, Robertson
- Best Value Fortified Wine of the Year: NV KWV Classic Collection Cape Tawny, Western Cape
Tim Atkin wine ratings are highly regarded in the industry both locally and abroad. This prolific wine journalist produces similar reports for wine areas in Europe and both North and South America, offering an excellent overview for the consumer. He must spend his life on an aeroplane on his way to another exotic wine destination, but this renders him a connoisseur and his judgement is therefore a definitive benchmark, your guarantee of quality winemaking.
Atkin is an old friend of Bosman Winemaker Corlea Fourie, so we get to host this slim and trim journo for lunch on the farm every year during his visit. We then get to pick his brain and tap into his wisdom on wine trends and wine styles. He is a mine of information, having such a broad reach and experience. It’s amazing to watch his judging process as he sits down in front of a line up of wines, does a quick taste, swirl and spit, and then scribbles furiously in a little book. Then months later, he arrives back in South Africa and the awards are announced at a lovely event in the Cape Winelands.
So next time you spot a Tim Atkin sticker on a wine bottle, you’ll understand from whence it comes and what it means. There are many, many competitions and wine bottles are dotted with a myriad of stickers. But consumers should not just go for a sticker bedecked bottle, check first the provenance of the award before you make your choice.