Stellenbosch wines awarded at the Gilbert & Gaillard International Challenge

Stellenbosch is a wine district of the Coastal Region, in South Africa's Western Cape province, certified under the country's Wine of Origin system. The vineyards spread across a natural amphitheatre at the foot of the Helderberg, Simonsberg, Jonkershoek and Drakenstein mountains, about twenty kilometres from False Bay. This proximity to the ocean, reinforced by the cold Benguela current and by the south-easterly wind known as the Cape Doctor, moderates a Mediterranean-type climate and cools the vines in the late afternoon during summer. Soils are highly varied: decomposed granite on the slopes, sandstone on the ridges, and alluvium and clay on the valley floors. The district comprises eight official wards, Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch and Vlottenburg, each defined by its own combination of soil and climate. Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Syrah and Pinotage lead among the red varieties grown, alongside Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay among the whites.