Merlot SA with Taransaud Barrels hosted it’s fourth annual Top 10 Merlot Competition in May. The spotlight turned once again to celebrate one of the most beloved grape varietals in winemaking history – Merlot.
The Taransaud Merlot Top 10 Competition has now built a sterling reputation for identifying and honouring the very best Merlot wines that South Africa produces. This year saw 47 confirmed single variety entries, with an excellent representation of the most passionate Merlot producers in the country.
At the heart of the competition lies its rigorous judging process, performed by a distinguished panel of panel of judges, tasked to evaluate the entries on their complexity, balance and sense of place.
The panel was comprised of the following judges:
- Matthew Copeland – Panel chair and chairman for Merlot SA and winemaker for Vondeling Wines
- Danielle le Roux – Winemaker for Rust and Vrede
- Jean-Marie de Villiers – WSET Diploma Graduate with national retail background
- Renier van Deventer – Cellarmaster and Head Winemaker at Leopard's Leap Vineyards
- Rudger van Wyk – Winemaker for Doolhof Wine Estate and proprietor of New Dawn Wines
- Wayve Kolevsohn – Group sommelier for The Royal Portfolio Group
“I’ll remember this year’s judging for the excellent cohesion amongst the panel. Everyone was confident and worked well together. From production, to purchasing, to retail - each area of the wine industry needs to be represented on the panel. Sometimes, this diversity can be challenging, but not this year. We had very few requests for a repour and only one discrepancy after the first day of tasting,” says Matthew Copeland.
On the overall tasting, Rudger van Wyk commented, “I think there’s a lot of complexity and nuance across the different vintages. I’m excited about it. There’s a lot of potential and great quality wines popping up.”
Wayve Kolevsohn said, “I’m really impressed with the lovely purety of fruit showing through the wines, also the wonderfully clever and gentle use of oak. The wines are delicious and moreish with great age ability and quality.”
Leopard's Leap Cellarmaster, Renier van Deventer commented, “There’s a super golden thread running through the wines.”
Taransaud Top 10 Merlot
On conclusion of the tasting, the judging panel selected the following as the Top 10 wines. In alphabetical order, the winners are as follows:
- Bein Merlot 2023 - Stellenbosch
- Carmen Stevens Merlot 2022 - Paarl
- Delaire Graaf Banghoek Reserve Merlot 2022 - Stellenbosche
- Dornier Merlot 2021 - Stellenbosch
- Fleur du Cap Unfiltered Merlot 2022 - Coastal
- Groote Post Merlot 2022 - Darling
- Hidden Valley Merlot 2023 - Stellenbosch
- Rainbow’s End Merlot 2022 - Stellenbosch
- Vondeling Barrel Selection Merlot 2022 - Paarl
- Wellington Wines Duke Merlot 2023 - Wellington
In addition to the Top 10 awards, Taransaud Tonnelier generously awards one of its exceptional barrels as a prize for the Judges SelectionMerlot of the show. This wine is not selected on score, but on unanimous preference of the panel, as a favourite on the final day.
The winners were announced at a fun-filled awards ceremony, hosted at Scape Restaurant on Vrymansfontein in Paarl on 18 June 2025.
Historical Stats: Bein Wines has been the most successful producer with an impressive 4 wines in the Top 10over the last four years. Following Bein is Delaire Graaf, Dornier, Nilberg and Vondeling Wines, each with three winners. Unsurprisingly, this establishes Stellenbosch as the favoured region, but with producers well distributed within the region.
As the 2025 Taransaud Merlot Top 10 uncorks its latest chapter, we congratulate all the winners. This event is more than a showcase of South African excellence, it’s a testament to the enduring allure of Merlot and the ingenuity of the winemakers that bring it to life.