KWV Laborie triumphs at Amorim Cap Classique Challenge for 3rd time in Competition's 25 year history

Friday, 18 September, 2026

Amorim Cork South Africa

Paarl estate KWV Laborie reigned supreme at this year's Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, winning the title of Best Wine on Show with its Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020.

Cap Classique 2026 Trophy Winners
From Left: Stephan de Beer, Krone: Best Nectar, António Amorim, chairman of Amorim Cork, Sacha Muller, Laborie: Best Blanc de Blancs and Overall Winn, Joaquim Sá, MD Amorim South Africa, Sharon Parnell and Megan Mullis of Domaine des Deux: Best Brut and Best Rosé. (Pieter Ferreira, Best Extended Ageing, was absent.).

Paarl estate KWV Laborie reigned supreme at this year's Amorim Cap Classique Challenge, winning the title of Best Wine on Show with its Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020, making it the third time that Laborie's Blanc de Blancs has been crowned overall winner of the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge. Laborie won the competition's Best Wine on Show award in 2005 and 2023, both times for its Blanc de Blanc.

This year saw the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge presented for the 25th time as the leading showcase for South Africa's Cap Classique sparkling wine category. Held for the first time in 2002 as a collaboration between Portuguese cork company Amorim and erstwhile WINE Magazine, the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge has grown into a renowned indicator of Cap Classique excellence in a diversity of styles. This year's competition saw 138 wines entered into the Cap Classique categories of Brut Blends, Blanc de Blancs, Nectar, Rosé, Blanc de Noir and Extended Ageing (wines of seven years and older).

With Laborie leading the Blanc de Blancs entries, Hemel en Aarde producer Domaine Domaine des Dieux won two categories, namely Best Brut Blend and Best Rosé with its Claudia Brut 2021 and Rose of Sharon Rosé 2017 respectively. Krone Night Nectar Blanc de Blanc 2021 took the Nectar category, with Pieter Ferreira Blanc de Blancs 2015 winning the trophy in the Extended Ageing class. No trophy was awarded in the Blanc de Noir category.

Speaking at the Amorim Cap Classique Challenge awards ceremony held at La Petite Colombe on Leeu Estates in Franschhoek, Amorim Cork Chairman António Amorim said Amorim's connection to sparkling wine runs deeper than sponsorship - it runs through the origin of the cork industry itself.

"The modern cork stopper owes its existence to Dom Pérignon, the first person to seal champagne bottles with cork," said Amorim. "That link between cork and celebration has carried through the history of Amorim, company that has been in the cork business since 1870, present in South Africa since 1968, and running its own cork operations here since 1982. Sparkling wine, in other words, isn't just another category for Amorim: it's close to the root of why the business exists at all."

That history, said Amorim, was the backdrop for marking 25 years of the Amorim Cape Classique Challenge, an anniversary framed as a joint achievement with WINE Magazine and Cap Classique Association Chairman Peter Ferreira who were credited as the driving forces behind building the category from the outset.

"Over the past few years, global wine volumes have fallen sharply, down from around 17bn bottles to 14bn," said Amorim. "Sparkling wine, by contrast, has held remarkably steady, reaching roughly 3.5bn bottles at its 2022 peak and still being around that level by the end of 2025. French champagne has softened somewhat, largely on pricing, while Prosecco and other regions have picked up the slack. The consensus is that sparkling wine faces a decade of modest but consistent growth, making it one of the more resilient corners of the wine trade."

Within that global picture, South Africa's position stood out, he said. Champagne remains in a category of its own, but after that, Cap Classique is increasingly recognised as sparkling wine's second serious contender, ahead of the scattered pockets of quality found in parts of Italy, France or California.

"What sets South Africa apart isn't a handful of standout producers but the consistency of quality across the industry as a whole, sustained by people like Ferreira and the Cap Classique community," he said. "It is a true honour for Amorim Cork to be associated with Cap Classique and we congratulate the producers on what you have achieved over he past decades and wish you the best of luck going forward, with the assurance that Amorim is there to support you all the way."

Trophy, Double Gold and Gold Medal Winners of the 2026 Amorim Cap Classique Challenge:

Blanc de Blancs

Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020, (Double Gold, Trophy Blanc de Blancs and Overall Winner)
Simonsig Cuvée Royale Blanc de Blanc 2022 (Double Gold)
Louisvale MCC Brut NV (Gold)
Colmant Blanc de Blancs NV (Gold)
Pieter Ferreira Pinot Blanc 2023 (Gold)
Babylonstoren Sprankel 2021 (Gold)