Carmen Stevens wins Winemaker of the Year 2015

The award ceremony for Winemaker of the Year 2015 just wrapped up and we’re incredibly excited to announce the results to the world!

Carmen Stevens wins winemaker of the year 2015

The winemaker of the year 2015 is Carmen Stevens, a truly extraordinary individual who has overcome incredible odds to become a shining example of South African winemaking.

What makes Carmen the winner?

1. Insanely popular wines
2. Dedicated to replying to every single fan
3. She pays it forward (this wasn’t in the judging criteria, but I’d be crazy not to mention it).

Carmen’s wines have been very popular in the UK and US markets.

She is constantly striving to personally reply to every fan that leaves a note.

And what’s more, Carmen has mobilized her followers to help her local community in ways that inspire us and make us prouder than we’d ever imagined. If you haven’t read all about Carmen’s kitchen and the thousands of children that she’s feeding in Belhar, just 15 minutes from Stellenbosch (the epicenter of South African winemaking), then grab a box of tissues and click this link now.

The winemaker of the year prize

Carmen is taking home $400,000 in Angel funding which she can use to make any wine she wants – and we can’t wait to hear what she’s going to make!

We’ll give Carmen a bit of time to think about it because it’s a big decision not to be taken lightly. Plus she is in the middle of vintage in the southern hemisphere and is suffering a nasty shoulder injury. We hope she gets well soon and doesn’t tantalize us for TOOOO long with anticipation!

Wine of the Year awards 2015

Of course we didn’t just stop at the winemaker of the year. There are also awards for the three wines that outperformed all others in their price range!

And the winners based on Angel votes:

• Best Bang for Buck Wine of the Year – F. Stephen Millier Black Label Cabernet Sauvignon 2014
• Best Sweet Spot Wine of the Year – DRG Daryl Groom Cabernet Sauvignon Alexander Valley 2013
• Best Top Shelf Wine of the Year – Camille Benitah Cabernet Sauvginon Napa Valley 2013

Each of these winemakers will be getting $200,000 to make their dream wine next vintage.

A huge thank you to the tens of thousands of Angels who voted

These awards wouldn’t be possible without all our lovely Angels … they provide the prize money for this competition AND they vote on the winners by rating their wines throughout the year and engaging directly with the winemakers on their walls and around the site.

This is much more than some gold medal competition or a 100 point score from one or two critics. These awards represent the endorsement of an entire community of over 90,000 wine drinkers. Each and every one of them puts their money where their mouth is and supports talented independent winemakers to make great wine an everyday pleasure.

So THANK YOU to all our Angels. This award exists because of you!

Follow the winning winemakers to get updates on their exciting new wine projects
These guys will be keeping their followers up to date on their new wines. You’ll be first to know how they’re coming along, how they’re being made and most importantly, when they’ll be ready to drink.

Discover why these guys won with the Winemaker of the Year preorder
For just $10 down you get first access to the new release wines that helped propel these winemakers to the podium. These are already hugely successful wines, but now they carry snazzy new awards, they’re going to be more popular than ever.

Make sure you don’t miss out on their new releases by securing your stash now.