Paul Clüver Family Wines has been awarded the Investec Trophy for Best Pinot Noir at the 2026 Investec Trophy Wine Show for its Paul Clüver Estate Pinot Noir 2024 – marking the first time in 15 years that the competition has recognised a wine from this variety with a trophy.
The award was announced at the 25th edition of the Investec Trophy Wine Show, one of South Africa’s most prestigious competitions, which attracted 650 entries this year.
“It is especially pleasing to see Pinot Noir recognised at a competition of this calibre, and for our Estate Pinot Noir to be the wine that breaks the drought,” says Andries Burger, cellarmaster at Paul Clüver Family Wines.
“To shine at the Trophy Wine Show with its panel of esteemed local and international judges, a wine must be world-class. Thus, having the Paul Clüver Estate Pinot Noir judged at this level underscores our wine quality and shows that the Cape truly has the potential of producing Pinot Noir of a global standard.”
The winning wine originates from vineyards in the Elgin region, where Paul Clüver has focused on cool-climate varieties, particularly Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, for more than three decades. The Estate Pinot Noir 2024 is made from vineyards situated between 280m and 400m above sea level on predominantly decomposed Bokkeveld shale soils with underlying clay layers.
Fruit for the wine was sourced from Pinot Noir vineyards ranging in age from 3 to 34 years and from a selection of Burgundian clones planted on the estate.
“This trophy is vindication of Paul Clüver’s unwavering commitment to Pinot Noir, the red jewel of Burgundy that has found a true home on the Clüver family farm in Elgin,” says Burger.
He says the achievement reflected decades of work in understanding the variety in the Elgin environment and refining viticultural and winemaking practices to express the region’s cool-climate character, whilst ensuring that the wines represent the characteristics of statuesque elegance for which the Pinot Noir grape is known.
“The winning Paul Clüver Estate Pinot Noir 2024 was guided by a terrific vintage,” says Burger. “The 2024 growing season in Elgin was characterised by a warm, dry early summer that accelerated ripening and resulted in an earlier harvest. Cool night temperatures helped preserve acidity and freshness in the grapes, while smaller berry size contributed to concentration and structure.”
In the cellar, the grapes underwent sorting before a six-day cold soak. Fermentation began with natural yeasts and was completed using selected Burgundian yeast strains. The wine was matured for 12 months in French oak barrels, with a limited proportion of new oak employed during ageing.
The return of a Pinot Noir trophy after a 15-year absence highlights the progress made in the production of wines from this variety in South Africa, particularly in cooler-climate regions such as Elgin, which has become recognised for its Pinot Noir wines.
Paul Clüver Family Wines is one of the pioneering wine producers in the Elgin Valley and has played a significant role in establishing the region’s reputation for cool-climate winemaking. The accolade not only reinforces Paul Clüver Family Wines’ track record with Pinot Noir but also further positions Elgin as one of South Africa’s leading cool-climate regions for the variety.