African Sun Wines, the brand owner for MARA Wines, has won two medals from the USA Wine Ratings Competition, putting its two winning brands ahead of peers in quality and class.

Mara Nyeupe won a gold medal from a panel of high-profile wine industry judges and scored highly in three different categories; Quality, Value and Packaging.

Winning a gold medal at the USA Wine Ratings Competition is the ultimate seal of approval, showing that Mara Nyeupe is a high-quality wine with broad consumer appeal.

The Chenin Blanc was selected for its well-balanced acidity and playfulness between floral and ripe tropical fruit flavors, with the wine ideally matched to fresh seafood and chicken delicacies.

Similarly, Mara Nyekundu won a Silver medal from the same competition putting it on the global map in terms of quality and broad consumer appeal.

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The fruity Mara Nyekundu wine received accolades for its delicious blend of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon with strong aromas of plums, vanilla and blackcurrants.

PHOTO/COURTESY

The wine is best suited to the traditional Kenyan Nyama Choma, Asian curries and a good old-fashioned steak.

The USA Wine Ratings competition requires that all wines that receive medals be those that consumers actually want to buy at a retail wine store, or by ordering off a restaurant wine list.

It has created a new 100-point rating system that takes into consideration three different criteria; Quality, Value and Packaging instead of just winemaking technique and overall taste.

African Sun Wines, which is a leading exporter of South African wine to growing international markets worldwide, has welcomed the great international recognition.

“We feel that it offers a broad, comprehensive approach to evaluating wines the same way that consumers and trade buyers do,” said Sid Patel, CEO and Founder of Beverage Trade Network.

“Increasingly, consumers are thinking of wines as brands, just like they would any other product they find in a supermarket. That’s why it was so important to include Packaging & Presentation as a key judging criterion - it means that the wine is being created with a specific type of customer or demographic in mind,” Patel added.

The judging panel included wine industry professionals with commercial buying expertise, master sommeliers and masters of wine.