Stellenbosch takes Backsberg Vino Varsity Challenge after stiff opposition from the University of Cape Town

Stellenbosch takes Vino Varsity Challenge after stiff opposition from UCT

Mon, Aug 17, 2009

Here is the post-match summary courtesy of my co-organiser, Emile Joubert from Media Vision. Stellenbosch University’s Wine Society won the inaugural Backsberg Vino Varsity Challenge last Friday, narrowly beating the University of Cape Town (UCT). The contest, which was held at the Backsberg Wine Estate, saw the wine societies from South Africa’s two oldest universities go head-to-head to determine who had the keenest palates, the sharpest debating skills and the best general wine knowledge.

A surprise turn came when both teams drew in the blind tasting section, during which three competitors from each team were asked to identify a collection of wines according to cultivar, age and style. It was assumed that Stellenbosch would win this section due to the University’s rigorous tasting regimen, but UCT were able to compete more than ably in this department.

With very close scores in the general knowledge section, it was left to the competition’s debate to determine the winner. The topic saw Stellenbosch opposing the notion that: The celebration of the 350th anniversary of the wine industry this year is relevant.“Having to debate against the historical importance of the South African wine industry was always going to be very hard,” said Andrew Chigorimbo, captain of the Stellenbosch team. “But I think we had a good argument in that the industry still had too much to do in creating an established South African brand on the global and local stage. By focusing on the challenges the industry has in negotiating global competitiveness through creating a modern, fashionable image, we were able to raise what we thought to be a convincing argument.”

The argument saw Stellenbosch win the debate unanimously, with the three judges – Portuguese wine judge Joaquim Sa, and wine writers Neil Pendock and Fiona McDonald – all judging in favour of Stellenbosch.

Simon Back, co-organiser of the Vino Varsity Challenge and marketing manager of Backsberg said that the contest was to be an annual event. “The organisers and the judges were impressed with the level of wine knowledge shown by the competing universities, as well as the rich appreciation for South Africa’s wine culture,” says Back. “The wine industry has to involve students and young people, as these are the consumers and wine ambassadors of the future. Plans are afield to include other South African universities in next year’s Vino Varsity Challenge, thereby creating the first national student event on the wine calendar.”

The University of Stellenbosch’s Wine Society won the Backsberg Vino Varsity floating trophy filled with Backsberg Cabernet Sauvignon 1985 (see above pic), a wine reference book and an international wine tasting at Cape Town’s Wine Cellar.

Some press:

(Before the event)

-Wineland Blog (Edo Heyns)

-Cape Times

-Tonight Section in The Argus (David Biggs)

-Wine.co.za article

-Paarl Post

(After the event, so far…)

-Pendock Uncorked at the Times

-WINE Magazine Online

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This post was written by:

Simon Back- who has written 51 posts on the Back Chat Blog. After finishing up studying economics at UCT in 2007, Simon has joined his family wine farm, Backsberg. When he is not trying to figure out what marketing wine means, he is authoring his blog, Back Chat.

Author's web site: Backsberg