SA Terroir Wine Awards: Top 2026 terroir wines crowned

 
The Trophy winners with the Sponsors: Cornel and Jaco Brand – Arbeidsgenot, Alicia Potgieter, Ontbytsake, JM Crafford – Stettyn, Mika Engelbrecht – Ghost Corner, Christo Pienaar chairman SA Terroir Awards, Philip Viljoen – Bon Courage Estate, Marius Boshoff – Winfield United SA, Clarise Wallace – SA LItho, Johann Fourie – Botrivier Ward

Moreover, all 38 national winning wines from cultivars and styles originated from 16 wineland terrains, as announced at an illustrious function in the Lanzerac Hotel and Spa on Wednesday 12 August.

The overall triumphant wine from all the entries was from Ghost Corner Wines in die Elim Ward at Cape Agulhas, namely the Ghost Corner Sémillon 2024, which thereby pocketed the 2026 SA Terroir Trophy for the Top Wine. This was the second time in a row that Ghost Corner Wines bagged this trophy, having also won it with their 2024 Sauvignon Blanc last year. Both these wines were vinified by Cederberg Cellars, 500 kilometres away from their most southern vineyards in the country.

Arbeidsgenot Cellar from Wolseley performed remarkably this year by winning two trophies – in the first place the SA Terroir Trophy for the Top Producer, while the 2026 SA Terroir Trophy for the Top Single Vineyard Wine went to the 2025 Arbeidsgenot Tannie Esther Muscat D'Alexandrie Straw Wine.

Like last year, the trophy for the Top Estate was won by Bon Courage Estate, Robertson, a regular achiever at the Terroir Competition. They have already bagged this trophy four times before, in 2025, 2019, 2015 and 2013.

The trophy for the Top Area was awarded to the Botrivier Area with National winners from three wineries.

The trophy introduced last year for the Top Heritage Wine (Old Vine), was won by Stettyn Cellar from Villiersdorp with their Stettyn Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025, from a vineyard established in 1984.

The category Heritage Wines – for vineyards 35 years and older – has in addition to the Stettyn Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025 also yielded a red wine winner, namely the Stellenbosch 1679 Old Vine Pinotage 2023 from Koelenhof Cellar.

All the national winners awarded to the various cultivars and wine styles, represented 17 estate wines and 10 single vineyard wines.

In addition to their two trophies, Arbeidsgenot also won the laurels by entering four National Winners. Eight participants excelled with two National Winners each, namely Benguela Cove, Bergsig Estate, Bon Courage Estate, Cederberg Cellar, Lourensford Cellar, Springfontein, Villion Wines and Vrede en Lust.

New entrants which produced national winners for the first time, are Fryer's Cove Hollebaksstrandfontein Sauvignon Blanc (wooded) 2025, Groot Phesantekraal Pinotage 2024 and Manley Viognier 2026.

Only wines certified by the Wine and Spirit Board as wine of origin from a specific ward, a district not divided into more than one ward, estate-produced wines and single vineyard wines may participate in the competition. Single cultivar wines form an important part of this competition, as well as lower volume wines deriving from a single vineyard.

Altogether 38 wines from all the cultivars and styles entered excelled with the highest points as National Winners. In addition to the trophy winners and national wines, the top entries from the different areas are also named.

A discussion with the winemaker of the Top Wine and highlights of the awards function will be aired on Saturday 22 August 2026 on the TV program OntbytSAKE on Kyknet channels 144 and 145.

The SA Terroir Wine Awards are presented in collaboration with the financial partners SA Litho and WinField United SA, with the OntbytSAKE programme on KykNET as media partner.

Judges

The judging panel comprised five Cape Wine Masters: Jeff Grier, wine consultant (chairperson); Conrad Louw, regular lecturer at the Cape Wine Academy and wine competition judge; Lieza van den Heever, marketing manager at Merwida; Anton Swarts, senior winemaker and wine buyer at Spier, and Janine van Zyl, a qualified sommelier.

Sponsors

SA Litho Label Printers – With more than 120 years’ expertise, SA Litho proudly supports the SA wine industry by means of innovative thinking, profound industry knowledge and top packaging solutions. “To be in partnership with the SA Terroir Wine Awards, bears testimony to our communal commitment to celebrating authenticity, proficiency and the unique character of South African wine,” says Clarise Wallace, their sales manager for wines at SA Litho.

WinField United SA – WUSA provides innovative solutions and is involved with projects that help drive advancement and progress in agriculture. Their CEO, Jan Vermaak, says, “Our partnership with the SA Terroir Wine Awards reflects our commitment to supporting excellence in South African agriculture. It’s important for us to be involved in celebrating wines that express a true sense of place, recognising the journey from the vineyard to the final product in the bottle, and the people who make it possible.”

OntbytSAKE – As media partner, says Louis Mclaren, owner and executive producer, “We continue to champion the finest in South African wine, giving top-performing estates and winemakers the national spotlight they deserve. Celebrating excellence is not just a value – it’s our passion. Winning wine producers, including new entrants in South Africa, will be given airtime exposure on OntbytSAKE on kykNET. The Terroir Wine Awards embody a standard of excellence that.we areproud to share with audiences across the country.”

The full results are available on the website www.terroirwineawards.co.za

National Winners

Terroir is the basis by which the natural environmental elements like soil, topography and climate combine to deliver different flavours and characters in wines grown from the same grape variety on different sites.

Stay in touch via social media:

Facebook: www.facebook.com/SATerroirAwards
X: x.com/SATerroirAwards
Instagram: www.instagram.com/saterroirawards
Stay connected: #saterroir

www.terroirwineawards.co.za

Enquiries to Elsabé Ferreira at tel 021 863 1599 / office@terroirwineawards.co.za

Photo captions:

Photo 1: The Trophy winners: Cornel and Jaco Brand – Arbeidsgenot, JM Crafford – Stettyn, Mika Engelbrecht – Ghost Corner, Philip Viljoen – Bon Courage Estate, Johann Fourie – Botrivier Ward

Photo 4 : Top area – Botriver ward – Nick Harlow - Wildekrans, Johann Fourie - Benguela Cove, Kobie Viljoen - Villion

Photo 7:  Top Single Vineyard – Arbeidsgenot Tannie Esther Muscat D’Alexandrie 2025 Jaco Brand and Christo Pienaar

Photo 8: Top Heritage Vineyard Vineyard Wine – Stettyn Old Vine enin Blanc 2025 – Rosa Kruger – Founder of Old Vines/Heritage Vineyards, JM Crafford and Christo Pienaar