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Southern Sun to host renowned wine tasting events ahead of the 2023 Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards

South Africa, 4 April 2023 – Southern Sun, the hospitality partner of the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards since 2018, is proud to announce two renowned wine tasting events taking place in Johannesburg and Durban in a lead up to the 2023 Awards. The two events provide the opportunity for wine lovers to sample a selection of award-winning wines and spirits and to meet the winemakers and producers who produced them.

The first Michelangelo Wine Tasting Event will take place in Johannesburg on Friday and Saturday, 21 and 22 April 2023 at Southern Sun Rosebank, followed by a second event in Durban on Friday and Saturday, 26 and 27 May 2023 at Garden Court uMhlanga. At these two unmissable events, wine lovers can expect to taste wines and spirits from a comprehensive selection of South African premium wine brands, including:

• Vondeling
• The Johannesburg Distilling Company
• Bon Courage
• Thor Vintners
• Le Pommier
• Mountain Ridge
• Premier Pure Fusion
• Holden Manz
• Nitida
• Aslina Wines
• De Bosch Farm
• Durbanville Hills
• Nederburg
• Simonsig
• Private Collection
• Niel Joubert Wines
• Hoopenburg Wines
• Lourensford Wines
• Babylonstoren Wines

These renowned cellars and distilleries will exhibit not only their award-winning produce, but also their extended ranges of delightful wines and spirits, offering guests over 100 wines, spirits, MCC and other sublime creations.

Mynard Slabbert, co-owner of the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards explains, “These Wine Tasting Events showcase a selection of the 2022 Michelangelo winners who were announced at a gala awards evening hosted at Southern Sun Cape Sun. The tasting events bring the wines, winemakers and producers to Johannesburg and Durban, giving local wine lovers, sommeliers, restaurateurs, and merchants an opportunity to engage with them, and sample their award-winning products first-hand. Now in its 27th year, the Michelangelo Awards remain unique in Africa, with more than 263 individual judges from 47 countries having served on the panels over the years.”

As the biggest wine and spirits competition in Africa, the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards receives more entries than any other awards programme in the sector. All entries are meticulously judged by panels of wine experts from five different continents in a blind tasting, utilising the 100-point OIV system. This impartial process guarantees that each participant is assessed on the same level, without being swayed by packaging or brand name.

Southern Sun’s chief executive, Marcel von Aulock commented on the hotel group’s ongoing association with the Michelangelo Awards, “Partnering with these prestigious awards provides us with the opportunity to showcase some of South Africa’s most renowned winemakers and to support an industry which is closely linked to our own. We are delighted to host the Michelangelo Wine Tasting Events, and look forward to welcoming wine lovers in Johannesburg and Durban to Southern Sun Rosebank and Garden Court uMhlanga in April and May respectively.”

Tickets for the Michelangelo Wine Tasting Events can be purchased online now at Computicket, and a limited number of tickets will be available at the door (R200).

• Southern Sun Rosebank event tickets cost R175 online (21 & 22 April 2023).
• Garden Court uMhlanga event tickets cost R150 online (26 & 27 May 2023).

Wine lovers are invited to make an evening of it with Southern Sun’s special accommodation rates for event ticketholders. To book an overnight stay at Southern Sun Rosebank visit bit.ly/431pXnx; to book an overnight stay at Garden Court uMhlanga, visit bit.ly/3znKSnn.

Visit www.maiwsa.co.za to learn more about the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards.