From our very first blend in 1983 to the 65 remarkable entries tasted this week, Blaauwklippen's Blending Competition has remained a timeless celebration of craftsmanship, creativity, and the camaraderie of wine – then, now, forever.
This year marked the 42nd edition of South Africa’s longest-running wine blending challenge, drawing clubs from across the country to put their palates and precision to the test. The brief for 2025 was as classic as it was challenging: conceptualize a Cape Bordeaux-style blend using the superb 2024 Stellenbosch vintage. Contestants were given four cultivars – Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, and Petit Verdot – and tasked with crafting a wine that would not only showcase the harvest’s exceptional quality but also stand the test of time.
The rules were exacting: each component had to make up at least 5% of the blend, with no more than 60% of any single cultivar allowed. The goal? To create a wine that could take this great vintage to even greater heights - a true mark of blending mastery.
Guided by this challenge, 65 teams presented their creations to an esteemed judging panel: Blaauwklippen’s own winemaker Narina Cloete, alongside Guy McDonald, Alastair Rimmer, Marius Lategan, and Clive Torr. The caliber of entries was nothing short of exceptional, making the task of selecting the finalists both exciting and exacting.
We are proud to announce the top four clubs for 2025, listed alphabetically:
- Free State Wine Tasters Guild (Bloemfontein)
- Lydenburg Wyngilde (Lydenburg, Mpumalanga)
- Sunday Tennis Club (Bryanston, Johannesburg)
- Winey Hootsens (Durbanville, Western Cape)
The winner of the 42nd Blaauwklippen Blending Competition will be revealed on 19 September 2025 at our prestigious awards lunch ceremony. Until then, we raise a glass to every participant who embraced the challenge and celebrated the art of blending – an art we honour, then, now, and forever.