Perfect for everyday enjoyment. Value and quality rolled into one. Proudly brought to you by SA’s long -standing ‘best value’ competition.
The Ultra Value Wine Challenge (UVC) identifies only those very best wines that sell for under R150 a bottle. It is that simple. Wine lovers score once again that special first prize: A trusted list of best quality, best-priced wines. Winning wines are available right now.
The UVC continues to be the firm favourite, chosen by quality, value-driven producers and vineyards. Leaders of this category have all built enviable QPR reputations.
Robin von Holdt reviews the 2024 Challenge
General
‘Local lovers of wine are again spoilt for numerous brilliant selections, delicious drinking treats, to buy today! With summer (finally) kicking in and the festive season beckoning, the timing could not be better. This compelling list of mouth-watering treats offers a top-quality, budget conscious range of fine wines. Crisp fresh whites, fruity reds, zesty wines full of life as well as wines with good structure. Then there are celebratory bubblies, lip-smacking rosés, together with a selection of really delicious sweet wines. All these and many more treasures are now on offer. Judges ensured winning wines offer the best value, high quality, line up possible. Gorgeous flavours for immediate and total enjoyment. All wines are cost-conscious treats, mostly R50 – R80 a bottle. Wine lovers can fully enjoy an enhanced lifestyles without financial constraints.
This price-conscious category gets strong support both from producers and family vineyards. Our wine industry enthusiastically endorses this key ‘price’ principle. The Ultra Value Challenge supports wineries who have committed to attractive pricing without compromising fine quality. The UVC identifies best value wines according to a specific combination of wine quality and bottle price.
Wine lovers and wineries together now celebrate delicious, value-for-money winners.
Our grateful thanks go to both loyal supporters as well as to first time entrants.
Our congratulations go to all of the producers of these fine award-winning wines. They always put maximum effort into making delicious wines at great prices. Well done!’
Quality
‘Friendly styles remain the benchmark. Ripe fruit, freshness and a reduced use of oak. Judges again endorse views that better vineyard practices continue, thereby enhancing better quality of fruit. Tasting these wines was generally a pleasing experience with some excellent sets of results. As is always the case, a number of wines simply did not pass the required quality threshold’.
Judging
'The team of highly experienced judges assessed each and every wine with considered due diligence. Wines were always tasted ‘blind’ and in flights of similar wines. Judging panels sought positives while maintaining rigour and vigilance. Even-handed reviews are the order of the day. This definitive and really fine set of results are now launched today for the first time. These showcase the judges commitment and ability to find the best value, best quality wines in South Africa right now. Wine lovers can access this privileged list immediately.
Really super wines were identified, gaining the judges recognition and winning a resultant award. These wines are generally terrifically enjoyable and many are really unmissable. The initial hurdle is always to identify top quality above all else. A number of wines did not pass this test. This is always the case. Thereafter, the algorithm that takes price into account, in order to arrive at the value-adjusted final result, saw another layer of wines fall aside.
Double Gold, Gold and Silver medal victories go to special wines only. They are truly deserved . Winning wineries and their tremendously skilled teams will be justifiably proud of their stellar achievements. Awards were confirmed by the independent review process. These are the definitive 2024 best value results.’
Ginette De Fleuriot
Chenin Blanc comment: Delightful flight. Good fruit expression, aromas & fruit on the midpalate. One or two quite primary but not too much guava. Fresh, crisp and good yellow fruit character. Better weight and less dilute than in the past. Good news!
Sweet comment: A flight of different examples. Some were extremely floral & attractive without being over the top with sugar. Always more impressive than expected.
Merlot comment: Pleasantly surprised: much more fruit & weight than expected. A couple of wines were a bit extracted with some bitter dryness on the finish. Overall of serious character, well-judged oak-influence, maturation, deep colours as well as depth on the mid-palate.
Other White Cultivars comment: Colombard; expected more as this can be such a generous and pretty varietal wine.
Viognier: Delightful – true varietal character. Not blowsy nor alcoholic and fat. Poised and in check. Floral with peaches & apricots. Very enjoyable.
Rosé comment: A varietal line up with lovely pretty colours. The very best were some lighter styles with focussed fruit. The best very much from 2024. Older vintages not performing as well.
Statistics
UVC applies stringent judging criteria. These are often tougher than what you find applied at International levels. This means that well under 50% of entered wines achieve an award. The prestige of each award granted is acknowledged without any question. Today, another great set of results is launched. Of all the wines entered, rigorous judging saw under 10% of wines gain Double Gold Medal awards. Gold Medals were awarded to18% of wines while Silver Medal awards went to a meagre 17%. Always firmly judged and without favour, well-earned and well deserved awards went to the best.
Double Gold Awards
A total of 32 wines gained this prestigious Award. 13 red wines were equally matched by 13 white wines. Then 3 rosé wines plus a single win each for Sparkling, Sweet and Semi Sweet categories.
Red wines: Other Red Blends lead the charge with a total of 4 wins. Then Cabernet, Merlot, Pinotage and Shiraz each took home 4 Awards.
White wines: Sauvignon Blanc stole a march this year gaining 6 Awards. Chenin Blanc followed with 4 awards while a single Chardonnay, Blend and Viognier were awarded. Scores achieved were all 90/100 or higher with the highest score this year again achieving a remarkable 99/100.
Gold Awards
A total of 70 Awards were allocated this year. Red wines achieved 30 of these while white wines gained 28 wins. Next up were sweet wines gaining a total of 6 Awards. Rosé wines, Semi Sweet and Sparkling categories achieved 2 Awards each.
Red wines: Pinotage swept line honours with 10 victories. Other Red Blends achieved 7 Awards, Shiraz managed 5 Awards with Cabernet taking home a total of 4 victories.
White wines: It was Chenin’s turn to trump the pack with 12 Awards. Sauvignon Blanc followed with 7 wins. Chardonnay managed credible 6 Awards this year
This Gold Award category winning wines achieved a score of between 85 and 89/100, a consistent result in line with the last 4 years sets of results.
Silver Awards
Award credits went to 68 participating wines. 30 Awards were won by red wines while 27 Awards went to white wines. Sparkling wines gained 6 wins with Rosé wines achieving 3 Awards.
Red wines: Merlot aced the pack gaining a total of 7 Awards. Pinotage and Shiraz both achieved 6 victories each. Cabernet managed 5 wins while Bordeaux Blends were awarded three times.
White wines: Sauvignon Blanc stampeded across the line with a total of 14 Awards. Chenin Blanc followed with 9 wins while Chardonnay cracked 3 positions.
Overall Awards
The 2024 Ultra Value Wine Challenge overall award allocation was as follows:
Red wines took line honours once more with a total Award count of 73. White wines gained 68 awards. Sparkling wines were awarded 9 medals as were the Sweet wine category.
Both just pipping Rosé wines which achieved 8 Medals. The Semi Sweet wine category again won 4 awards this year. Major award winners won by cultivar:
Red Wines: Pinotage took the podium with 18 Awards in total. Then Shiraz achieved 13 Awards and Other Red Blends achieved 12 wins. Cabernet and Merlot both managed 11 Awards each. A very tight set of results, this!
White wines: This category was ruthlessly dominated by both Sauvignon Blanc with 27 victories and Chenin Blanc with 25 Awards. Chardonnay managed a very credible 10 Awards which was the same as in 2023.
Vintages
Wines from vintages 2019 to 2024 were winners in this year’s competition. The majority of these were from 2024 with a total of 73 wins, mostly white wines. 2023 had 34 winners, mostly red wines. 2022 had 19 winners while 2021 had 11 winners. Non-Vintage wines accounted for 28 winning wines.
With regards to results by vintage for Double Gold winners: 2024 cracked the winning number of 15 top Awards. This was followed by 2023 with 9 wins. Non-vintage winners accounted for 5 Awards.
Regions
Winning wines came in the main from 6 wine regions. Stellenbosch achieved 45 Awards. Robertson gained a total of 38 Awards. Western Cape managed to win 35 Medals. Paarl took home 19 Awards. Worcester celebrates with 15 Awards and Franschoek achieved a total of 9 Awards.
Gareth Robertson
Other Red Cultivars comment: A small flight with one or two good examples of soft, fresh, easy-drinking but well balanced tannins & integrated acidity.
Pinotage comment: A strong flight with a number of excellent examples that range from the more elegant, to full-bodied styles. The lessor examples would benefit from less oak and more priority of fruit.
Sparkling comment: Some smart wines in the drier class, the others had potential as they were super fresh. The Off-Dry category had a couple of fruit bombs.
Chardonnay comment: Unwooded group showed improvement – more character, depth, breadth & texture with expressive fruit upfront. Wooded generally excellent with a couple being old school, over-oaked. Pleasing integrated use on the rest, more restraint and poise.
Richard Kershaw
Cabernet Sauvignon comment: Smart wines, reflect varietal character: Red fruit often enough but not herbaceous, good structure. A few had glossy, showy oak but were still pleasantly appealing for the consumer – spot on as an entry to wine and cabs. The winemakers have applied themselves to uphold cabernet! Yay!!
Sauvignon Blanc comment: An expressive flight of wines that showed a melee of statistics and styles. Some more virtuous than others, but were generally supported by a quality 2024vintage. Some were mono-dimensional. One or two lacked fruit.
Other Red Blends comment: A challenging flight with some rustic wines that had sweet fruits, yet firm, stiff tannins that protruded. Better wines were more expressive, balanced and displayed complexity.
Shiraz comment: As a generous variety, represented in so many regions, we expected more fruit presence. Where is the generosity? A disappointing flight. Some high acids, dried out tannins. Not overly extracted as there was not enough fruit. The good ones: Some blue & red notes plus some plush ripe black fruit with tannins to the back.
Semi –Sweet / Off-Dry comment: A category that generally delivers uncomplicated, yet characterful wines. The best had a little more personality, vibrancy and balance.
UVC celebrates the Special Awards
Vineyard Consistency Awards
A worldwide fine-wine characteristic is shared by all great vineyards and their high-quality wines. Consistency: The regular, consistent achievement of benchmark accolades. This categorical feature is one proven only with time. The UVC Challenge now also assesses and awards top ranking vineyards for their successful and consistent wins. These vineyards have to have proved to be top-ranked, throughout the 10 years of this prestigious, value-driven wine competitions history. At this stage and over the full decade, there are now five vineyards in leading positions with between 74 and 118 winning wines. This is remarkable, a brilliant performance! A finite and categorical endorsement of each winning vineyard, their teams and their wine making skills and abilities.
We are thrilled to congratulate the following winners.
Nicholson Smith Agencies - First place
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar - Second place
Koelenhof Wynkelder - Third place
Accolade Wines SA - Fourth place
Robertson Winery - Fifth place
Wine of the Year Award; a Red, White, Sweet & MCC / Sparkling wine
The professional judges are able to identify these standouts during the evaluation process, those four individual wines that stand apart from every other wine. One white wine, one red wine, one sweet wine & one Sparkling only. These four wines that each achieve the single highest judged score during the competition. We are pleased to congratulate -
Red Wine of the year:
Leopards Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2023
White Wine of the year:
Alvi's Drift Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Sparkling Wine of the year:
Nicholson Smith Agencies Brut NV
Sweet Wine of the year:
Cloof Wine Estate Cheeky Chenin Blanc 2024
The additional level of recognition and endorsement that these unique achievements bring to vineyards, as well as to their wine making teams, is of tangible brand and commercial value and benefit. Each one of these awards offers a further enhancement of credibility and reputation, providing positive local market impact together with an enhanced global awareness and brand footprint. It also provides for differentiation of and recognition for their brands uniqueness and USP’s.
The top 9 highest-scoring wines:
Leopard's Leap Wines Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 99/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Pinotage 2023 98/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2024 97/100
Robertson Winery Chenin Blanc 2024 96/100
Spier Signature Red 2023 95/100
Spier Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 95/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Pinotage 2023 95/100
Accolade Wines SA Flagstone Poetry Sauvignon Blanc 2024 94/100
Leopard's Leap Wines 1659 NV Classic Red NV 94/100
Result summaries:
Double Gold Medals 32
Gold Medal Winners 70
Silver Medal Winners 69
Top multiple winning vineyards include:
Koelenhof Winery - 15 wins
Nicholson Smith Agencies - 14 wins
Stellenview Premium wines - 13 wins
Van Loveren Family Vineyards - 13 wins
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar - 10 wins
Mount Vernon Farm - 10 wins
Some industry comments from awarded vineyards follow:
Koelenhof
Handré Visagie, Winemaker: “We are deeply honoured to receive two double gold and five gold awards at the Ultra Value Wine Challenge! This recognition is a testament to our passion, dedication, and commitment to winemaking. A big thank you to our incredible team and everyone who has shared this journey with us. Here’s to many more successes together!”
Nicholson Smith Agencies
Jason Neal, Owner:“Pandoras Box The Italian Collection La Dolce Vita Moscato:
Been awarded one of the most prestigious honours in our industry for our Pandoras Box. Competing against such strong contenders made this recognition even more special.
A heartfelt thank you to the tasting panel for acknowledging our continuous dedication and hard work that has gone into crafting these exceptional wines.
I would also like to express my immense gratitude to my talented winemaking team, whose passion and commitment to excellence make achievements like this possible.
Let us take a moment to celebrate this incredible milestone together. Your efforts truly embody the spirit of our work, and I am proud to be on this journey with such a wonderful team.”
Accolade Wines
Gerhard Swart, Winemaker: “At Flagstone, each wine gets the same attention to detail and dedication. It is great to see the same wines winning GOLD and DOUBLE GOLD year on year. This is a great testimony for our Lifestyle range and confirming that our Flagstone range of wines over deliver in quality at each price point and is extremely good value for money.”
Brandvlei Wine Cellar
Daneel Jacobs, Winemaker: “Winning is a testament to our passion and dedication at Brandvlei Wine Cellar.
This achievement reflects the commitment of our entire team and the exceptional quality of our wines.
We’re honoured to be recognized and excited to continue bringing the taste of excellence from our vineyards to your table.”
Ken Forrester
Ken Forrester, CEO: “Whilst we strive to produce some of the best wines in the world, we also are aware of the need for great everyday wine. Delicious wine to open and relax with while preparing a meal or chatting with friends, wines that offer awesome flavour without breaking the bank.
These are the special wines that we offer with pride.”
Leopard’s Leap
CEO Hein Koegelenberg: “Leopard’s Leap is about adding quality to everyday life, and I believe our exceptional performance in the 2024 Ultra Value Wine Challenge confirms our success in achieving that. The 2023 Leopard’s Leap Cabernet Sauvignon being Red Wine of the Year makes us proud. It’s such a brilliant and versatile red wine, we can’t wait for everyone to try it!”
Riebeek Cellars
Jacques Theron, Winemaker: “We are overjoyed with the results of the Buy Better Wine Award and heartily thank everyone involved. Here in the Swartland we absolutely love working with Chenin Blanc seeing as it is such a versatile variety with a rich history in the Swartland. We produce Chenin Blanc in many forms and love to share our passion for this exciting cultivar with all our consumers. We hope you enjoy drinking it as much as we enjoy making it!”
Robertson Winery
Rianco van Rooyen, Cellarmaster: “We are once again humbled by our awards at the latest edition of the Ultra Value Wine Awards. These award-winning wines show the synergy between producers, viticulturist, winemakers, and cellar team. It is through this exceptional synergy that we can make these wines that over deliver on price point and provide the consumer with an exceptional wine enjoyment experience.”
McGregor Winery
Altus Theron, CEO: “The undiscovered jewel of McGregor Winery with surrounding vineyards is situated at the foothills of the Riviersonderend Mountains where the higher altitude makes it a cooler region to create the perfect environment for our grapes to thrive. The limestone soil gives the wine a unique character of balanced acidity and minerality. Here our producers and winemakers take hands crafting masterpieces from the vineyards to the bottle!
Where your road ends our story begins – one of discovery, adventure, and amazing wine!”
Spier
Johan Jordaan, Cellar Master: “It is a great honour for any winemaker to be acknowledged in this way. It is testimony to the effort and intent we put in every bottle of Spier wine, be it for everyday or that extra special moment.”
Villiersdorp Winery
Christo Versfeld, Winemaker: “Villiersdorp Winery’s approach to winemaking has always been that the product’s quality should over deliver on the asking price. With the financial situation all over the world, wine consumers would still like to enjoy a nice bottle of wine to suit their budget, even if it means to search for quality wines at lower prices. We hope that people will find our wines in their search for value….”
The list of winning wines by award, in the order of their final scores, follow:
Double Gold Medal Winners
Leopard's Leap Wines Leopards Leap Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 99/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Pinotage 2023 98/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2024 97/100
Robertson Winery Chenin Blanc 2024 96/100
Spier Wine Farm Spier Signature Red 2023 95/100
Spier Wine Farm Spier Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 95/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Pinotage 2023 95/100
Accolade Wines SA Flagstone Poetry Sauvignon Blanc 2024 94/100
Leopard's Leap Wines 1659 NV Classic Red NV 94/100
Stellenview Premium Wines Fire Finch 2023 Chardonnay 2023 94/100
Diemersfontein Sauvignon Blanc 2024 93/100
Koelenhof Wynkelder Stellenbosch Gold Red Blend 2021 92/100
Spier Wine Farm Spier Signature Merlot 2023 92/100
uniWines Vineyards Meander Malbec 2021 92/100
Cape Wine Company Juno Sauvignon Blanc 2024 91/100
Ken Forrester Wines Petit Rosé 2024 91/100
KoelenhofWynkelder Stellenbosch Gold Shiraz 2023 91/100
Leopard's Leap Wines1659 2024 Sauvignon Blanc 2024 91/100
Robertson Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2024 91/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards My Best Friend Cape White 2024 91/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Viognier 2024 90/100
Boland Cellar Classic Selection Merlot 2022 90/100
Brandvlei Cellar Chenin Blanc 2024 90/100
Cloof Wine Estate Cheeky Chenin Blanc 2024 90/100
Leopard's Leap Wines1659 NV Natural Sweet Rosé NV 90/100
Mcgregor Wines Chenin blanc 2024 90/100
Mount Vernon Farm Unbelievable Rosé NV 90/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Biscuit Tin Sparkling Brut NV 90/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Italian Job Dry Red Blend NV 90/100
Spier Wine Farm Spier Signature Shiraz 2023 90/100
uniWines Vineyards Meander Chenin blanc 2024 90/100
Villiersdorp Winery Slow Rosé 2024 90/100
Gold Medal Winners
Accolade Wines SA Flagstone Noon Gun White Blend 2024 89/100
Boland Cellar Classic Selection Shiraz 2021 89/100
Brandvlei Cellar Chardonnay 2024 89/100
Brandvlei Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2024 89/100
Cape Wine Company Juno Shiraz Mourvedre Viognier 2024 89/100
Cape Wine Company Juno Pinotage 2023 89/100
Cape Wine Company Juno Chenin Blanc 2024 89/100
Cape Wine Company Juno Dry Rosé 2024 89/100
Koelenhof Wynkelder Koelenbosch Pinotage 2022 89/100
Landskroon Wines Landskroon Chenin Blanc 2024 89/100
Mount Vernon Farm Three Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 89/100
Opstal Wines The Wild Woman Cinsault Rosé 2024 89/100
Robertson Winery Merlot 2024 89/100
Waterford Estate Pecan Stream Sauvignon Blanc 2024 89/100
Adama Wines Her Wine Collection Pinotage 2023 88/100
Cape Wine Company Juno Grenache Noir 2024 88/100
Mcgregor Wines McGregor Winery Colombard 2024 88/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box Honeysuckle Sweet Red NV 88/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Wheat fields Chenin Blanc NV 88/100
Stellenview Premium Wines Fire Finch Shiraz 2022 88/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Sauvignon Blanc 2024 88/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 88/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Chardonnay 2024 87/100
Brandvlei Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 87/100
Leopard's Leap Wines Leopards Leap Chardonnay 2024 87/100
Leopard's Leap Wines Leopards Leap Chenin Blanc 2024 87/100
Mcgregor Wines McGregor Winery Chardonnay 2024 87/100
Mount Vernon Farm Unbelievable Dry Red NV 87/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bella Vino Seductively Sweet White NV 87/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bella Vino Sublime White NV 87/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bob's Your Uncle The Fat Cat Chenin Blanc NV 87/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bella Vino Perky Pink NV 87/100
Opstal Wines Fairbridge Sauvignon Blanc 2024 87/100
Riebeek valley Wine Co Riebeek Cellars Collection Chenin Blanc 2024 87/100
Robertson Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 87/100
Robertson Winery Pinotage 2024 87/100
Accolade Wines SA Flagstone Poetry Pinotage 2024 86/100
Adama Wines Her Wine Collection Shiraz 2023 86/100
Ken Forrester Wines Petit Chenin 2024 86/100
Koelenhof Wynkelder Koelenhof Pinotage 2022 86/100
Koelenhof Wynkelder Koelenhof Koelnektar 2024 86/100
Koelenhof Wynkelder Koelenbosch Nineteenfortyone 2022 86/100
Leopard's Leap Wines Leopards Leap Merlot 2023 86/100
Mount Vernon Farm Unbelievable Rosé Sparkling NV 86/100
Mount Vernon Farm Three Peaks Chenin Blanc 2024 86/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bella Vino Sultry Red NV 86/100
Saxenburg Wine Estate Saxenburg Guinea Fowl Red 2022 86/100
uniWines Vineyards Meander Pinotage 2021 86/100
uniWines Vineyards Meander Shiraz 2021 86/100
uniWines Vineyards Meander Sauvignon blanc 2024 86/100
Accolade Wines SA Flagstone Tributary Chenin Blanc 2022 85/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar 221 Special Cuvee 2022 85/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Chenin Blanc 2024 85/100
Boland Cellar Ahintof Vanilla Chardonnay 2024 85/100
Koelenhof Wynkelder Koelenhof Koelenhoffer 2024 85/100
Mount Vernon Farm Unbelievable Semi Sweet NV 85/100
Mount Vernon Farm Unbelievable Sweet Red NV 85/100
Mount Vernon Farm Unbelievable Dry White NV 85/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Persian Connection Shiraz NV 85/100
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bella Vino Sassy Sweet Red NV 85/100
Robertson Winery Gewurtztraminer 2024 85/100
Stellenview Premium Wines KFK Reserve Pinotage 2020 85/100
Stellenview Premium Wines Great Five Reserve Pinotage 2021 85/100
Stellenview Premium Wines Fire Finch Pinotage 2022 85/100
uniWines Vineyards Meander - Moscato pink NV 85/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards My Best Friend Red Blend 2023 85/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Van Loveren Blanc de Blanc 2024 85/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Chardonnay 2024 85/100
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Van Loveren River Red Shiraz Pinotage 2024 85/100
Villiersdorp Winery Slow Chenin Blanc 2024 85/100
For further information please contact accounts@buybetterwine.com.