THE 11th YEAR OF SA’s TOP VALUE COMPETITION. Wine lovers favourite read especially if buying on a budget. It is the annual ‘best buy’ list of great value delicious wines.
Value and quality rolled into one, these are the perfect wines for your everyday enjoyment. Proudly brought to you by SA’s long-standing ‘best value’ competition.
The Ultra Value Wine Challenge (UVC) identifies only the very best wines that sell for under R180 a bottle. It is that simple. That special first prize can be yours right now: The trusted list of best quality, best-priced wines in South Africa.
The UVC continues to be the firm industry favourite, chosen by value-driven high quality producers and vineyards.
Robin von Holdt reviews the 2025 Challenge
General
'Spoilt for numerous brilliant selections of delicious drinking treats, local wine lovers are once again about to be delighted. With summer already flourishing and holiday festive plans afoot, the timing is perfect. Our exciting list of mouth-watering treats offers a top-quality, budget conscious range of fine wines just for you. Crisp fresh whites, fruity reds, zesty wines full of life as well as serious wines with good structure. Then there are celebratory bubblies, lip-smacking rosés, together with a selection of really delicious, sweet wines. A compelling array of vinous treasures are now on offer. Judges ensured winning wines will offer you the best value, high quality, line up possible. Aromatics and flavours bursting with enjoyment. All wines are cost-conscious treats, mostly between R60 – R90 a bottle. Wine lovers can now celebrate in style without financial worry.
This price-conscious category enjoys maximum support both from family vineyards and big producers alike. The SA wine industry enthusiastically endorses this key principle of ‘price’. The Ultra Value Challenge supports wineries who have committed to fine quality without compromise and who do so at attractive prices. The UVC identifies best value wines according to this specific combination of wine quality and bottle price.
Now all stakeholders, especially you, can celebrate with 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 highly experienced judges assessed each and every wine with care and diligence. Wines were always tasted ‘blind’ and in flights of similar wines. Judging panels sought positives without dropping standards of rigour and vigilance. Even-handed scoring is at the core. The definitive and fine set of results are now launched today for the first time. These showcase the judgment and ability of the team to find the best quality-best value wines in South Africa right now. Wine lovers, please access this fine list and enjoy now!
Super wines have been identified. Winning wines gained the judges recognition and support. A terrifically enjoyable line-up, 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. Then an algorithm is applied that takes price into account, in order to arrive at the value-adjusted final result.
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 now the definitive 2025 best value wine results.’
Some judges’ comments
Sauvignon Blanc comment: A strong class, 2025 showing its promise. A more tropical spectrum than green. Nice citrus flavors.
Cabernet Sauvignon comment: An interesting collection. Nice concentration of a few well judged oak & extraction. 2025 showing lots of promise already.
Merlot comment: A few good examples, some showing early development. One very good example!
Red Blends comment: A Better representation than single varieties, showing the art of blending. A delightful pair of Bordeaux Blends and interesting other red blends, showing great promise.
Chenin Blanc comment: Delightful flight. Fresh, crisp and good yellow fruit character. Better weight and less dilute than in the past.Good fruit expression, aromas & fruit on the midpalate. One very pleasant 2024 example.
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: A few good examples, some showing early development. One very good example!
Rosé comment: The best very much from 2025. A varietal line up with beautiful colours. The very best were some lighter styles with focussed fruit. 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 usually under 50% of entered wines achieve an award. The prestige of each award granted is acknowledged without question. Today we launch another fine set of results. Of all the wines entered, rigorous judging saw 18% of wines gain Double Gold Medal awards. Gold Medals were awarded to 60% of wines while Silver Medal awards went to a meagre 19%. Always firmly judged and without favour, well-earned and well deserved awards went to the best.
Double Gold Awards
Scores achieved were all above 90/100 with the highest scores this year being both a Chenin and a Sauvignon Blanc. They each achieved a remarkable 97/100. A total of 23 wines gained this prestigious Award. 13 red wines and only 7 white wines. Then 2 rosé wines plus a single win for Semi Sweet categories.
Red wines: 6 Red Blends lead the charge followed by 2 Pinotage wines.
White wines: Sauvignon Blanc stole a march this year gaining 6 Awards.4 Chenin Blanc wines gained awards while Sauvignon Blanc gained 2 awards.
Gold Awards
The Gold Award category winning wines achieved a score of between 82 and 90/100, a very solid performing contingent.
A total of 81 Awards were allocated this year. Red wines achieved 27 of these while white wines gained 31 wins. Next up were sweet wines gaining a total of 6 Awards. Semi Sweet achieved 6 wins. Rosé and Rosé sparkling wines both achieved 4 wins each. Sparkling MCC categories achieved a further 3 wins.
Red wines: Pinotage again swept line honours with 7 victories. Cabernet achieved 6 Awards; Shiraz managed 5 Awards with Cabernet taking home a total of 4 victories. Red blends and Merlot achieved 3 awards each.
White wines: It was Sauvignon Blancs turn to trump the pack with 12 Awards. Chenin Blanc followed with 9 wins. Chardonnay managed credible 4 Awards this year.
Silver Awards
Award credits went to just 22 participating wines. 6 Awards were won by red wines while 7 Awards went to white wines. Sweet wines achieved 5 wines and semi sweets achieved 1 award. Sparkling wines gained 3 wins.
Pinotage managed 2 wins in the red wines category, others just 1 each.
Sauvignon Blanc achieved 4 wins while Chenin Blanc achieved 2 wins in the white wines category.
Overall Awards
The 2025 Ultra Value Wine Challenge overall award allocation was as follows:
Red wines just took line honours once more with a total Award count of 46. White wines gained 45 awards. Sparkling wines were awarded 11 medals altogether, tying with the sweet wine category which also achieved 11 awards. Semi sweet wines achieved 8 awards while Rosé won 6 awards.
Major award winners won by cultivar
Red Wines: Pinotage took the podium with 13 Awards in total. Then Red Blends achieved 10 Awards. Cabernet and Shiraz both achieved 8 wins. Merlot managed 5 awards.
White wines: This category was dominated by Sauvignon Blanc with 18 victories, followed by 15 wines for Chenin Blanc. Chardonnay managed a credible 5 Awards.
Vintages
Vintages 2025 had 56 winning wines and vintage 2024 had 29 winning wines this year. Non-vintage wines enjoyed 31 victories. These were dominant numbers. Vintages 2022 and 2023 had only 10 winning wines between them.
Regions
The dominant winning wine regions included Robertson and Western Cape each with 35 awards. Then Stellenbosch with 20 awards, Worcester with 16 awards and Paarl with 10 awards.
UWC celebrates the Special Awards
Wine of the Year Award: Red, white, sweet and Rosé
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 Rosé 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: UniWines Meander Pinotage 2023
White Wine of the year: Alvi's Drift Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Rosé Wine of the year: Alvi's Drift Signature Pinotage Rosé
Sweet Wine of the year: NSA Pandora's Box La Dolce Vita Moscato NV
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 10 highest-scoring wines
Alvi's Drift Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2025 97/100
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar 221 Chenin Blanc 2024 97/100
McGregor Winery Chenin Blanc 2025 95/100
UniWines Meander Pinotage 2024 95/100
VL Four Cousins Gold Edition Pinotage 2024 95/100
Pandora's Box Lock 1855 Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon 95/100
Three Peaks Shiraz 2024 94/100
Robertson Winery Merlot 2025 94/100
Gravel Junction Unbelievable Dry Red NV 93/100
Ken Forester Petit Cabernet Sauvignon 2025 93/100
Result summaries
Double Gold Medals 23
Gold Medal Winners 81
Silver Medal Winners 22
Industry comments
Alvi’s Drift Private Wine Cellar
Alvi van der Merwe, Owner: "To be awarded White Wine of the Year, along with Rose of the year is an extraordinary honour for Alvi’s Drift. This recognition affirms the vision we’ve held from the beginning: to craft wines of exceptional character and consistency. Every vintage is a reflection of our land, our people, and our pursuit of excellence — and this year’s results celebrate that journey."
Saxenburg Wine Estate
Fiona Bührer, Proprietor: "We are incredibly proud of our results at this year’s Ultra Value Awards. To have our Guinea Fowl Red awarded Double Gold and our Guinea Fowl Chenin receive a Gold medal is an amazing acknowledgement of the belief we have in these wines. We always strive to over-deliver in value for our customers with our Guinea Fowl range."
Nicholson Smith Agencies
Jason Neal, Owner: "We are honoured and humbled that our wines has been recognized with an outstanding 14 awards across our range, including the coveted title of Sweet Wine of the Year for our Pandora’s Box La Dolce Vita Moscato.
This recognition is a testament to the passion, dedication, and creativity that drive our team every day. To be celebrated among such exceptional producers makes this achievement especially meaningful, and we are deeply grateful to the judges for acknowledging the care and craftsmanship that define our wines.
A heartfelt thank you goes to our talented winemaker and everyone who contributes to the vision. Each award reflects their unwavering commitment to quality and innovation.
We are immensely proud to share this success and to continue crafting wines that bring joy, indulgence, and a touch of magic to every glass."
Villion Family Wines
Kobie Viljoen, Winemaker: “Wine does not always have to be serious to be seriously good! Kaptein Karnuffel Cabernet Sauvignon steers our ship, Zak Skobbejak Shiraz charms the ladies with his spicy demeanor whilst Sarel Seemonster Sauvignon Blanc rules with feisty expression and calm confidence. Thank you, Ultra Value Wine Challenge, for recognizing both quality and value for ‘Die Seerowers’ lifestyle wines.”
Nuy Winery
Christo Basson, Cellar Master: “Our team at Nuy Winery is ecstatic about our results – celebrating six Gold Medals across our Inspiration wine range.
These results showcase the diversity of our wines and our ability to excel across multiple wine styles.
We remain focused on delivering value and quality to our customers, with a firm commitment to consistency and honouring our growers.”
Gun Bay Wines
Andrew Ing, Director: “GUN BAY WINES are super excited to have achieved recognition from Ultra Value Wine Awards for that elusive ratio of PRICE POINT/QUALITY!! We are exporting to 13 countries and are yet to make a breakthrough into the competitive local market, but hopefully these awards will go some way towards assisting us on that journey! Thank you, Ultra Value Wine Challenge team.”
Ken Forrester Wines
Ken Forrester, CEO: “We’re honoured to receive this recognition.
Every bottle represents our commitment to quality and authenticity, and it’s incredibly rewarding to see our efforts appreciated by experts in the field. This win inspires us to continue creating exceptional wines that bring people together.”
Robertson Winery
Rianco Van Rooyen, CEO: “Robertson Winery is extremely proud and thankful that the dedication off the RW value chain has resulted in our outstanding results. The fact that every single one of our wines entered achieved a medal speaks to the direction our winery is moving in. A big thank you to everyone involved!”
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….”
Ultra Value Wine Challenge Double Gold and Gold medal winners
The list of winning wines by award, in the order of their final scores, follow:
Double Gold medal winners
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar 221 Chenin Blanc 2024
McGregor Winery Chenin Blanc 2025
uniWines Vineyards Meander Pinotage 2023
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Pinotage 2024
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box Lock 1855 Merlot Cabernet Sauvignon NV
Gravel Junction Three Peaks Shiraz 2024
Robertson Winery Merlot 2025
Gravel Junction Unbelievable Dry Red NV
Ken Forrester Wines Petit Cabernet Sauvignon 2025
Gun Bay Wines Gun Bay Chenin Blanc 2025
Koelenhof Koelenberg 2024
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Pinotage Rosé 2025
Van Loveren Family Vineyards VRL River Red 2024
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box La Dolce Vita Moscato NV
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box All Day RoséNV
Van Loveren Family Vineyards My Best Friend Cape Blend 2024
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Chenin Blanc 2025
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Viognier 2025
Saxenburg Guinea Fowl Red 2023
Gravel Junction Three Peaks Sauvignon Blanc 2025
uniWines Vineyards Meander Shiraz 2024
The Cape Wine CompanyJuno Pinotage 2024
Gold Medal winners
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Professor's Pinotage NV
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bob's Your Uncle Once in a blue moon Merlot NV
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bob's Your Uncle Wake Up And Smell the Coffee Pinotage NV
Robertson Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Gravel Junction Unbelievable Semi Sweet NV
Nuy Winery Inspiration Koffiepit 2024
Spier Wine Farm Spier Seaward Shiraz 2023
Spier Wine Farm Spier Signature Red 2024
Landskroon Chenin Blanc 2025
Gun Bay Wines Gun Bay Shiraz 2024
Koelenhof Pinotage 2024
Koelenhof Koelenhoffer 2025
Nuy Winery Inspiration Chenin Blanc 2025
Robertson Winery Chardonnay 2024
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Merlot 2024
Robertson Winery Pinotage 2025
The Cape Wine Company Juno Merlot 2025
Gun Bay Wines Gun Bay Rosé 2025
Nicholson Smith Agencies Bob's Your Uncle A Perfect Storm Sauvignon Blanc NV
Robertson Winery Chapel Dry White 2025
Robertson Winery Chapel Red 2025
Robertson Winery Chenin Blanc 2025
Robertson Winery The Blend 2024
Spier Wine Farm Spier Signature Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Van Loveren Family Vineyards VRL Neil's Pick Colombar 2025
Gun Bay Wines Gun Bay Pinotage 2024
uniWines Vineyards Meander Malbec 2023
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Edition Chardonnay 2025
Villiersdorp Winery Treintjiewyn NV
The Cape Wine Company Juno Cabernet Sauvignon 2025
uniWines Vineyards Meander Chenin Blanc 2025
Villion Family Wines Kaptein Karnuffel Cabernet Sauvignon 2022
McGregor Winery Shiraz 2023
Villion Family Wines Zak Skobbejak Shiraz 2023
Robertson Winery Cabernet Sauvignon 2024
The Cape Wine Company Juno Chenin 2025
Van Loveren Family Vineyards VRL Blanc de Blanc 2025
Villion Family Wines Sarel Seemonster Sauvignon Blanc 2025
The Cape Wine Company Juno Dry Rosé 2025
McGregor Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Villiersdorp Winery Slow Chenin Blanc 2025
uniWines Vineyards Meander Moscato White NV
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Pinotage 2024
Ken Forrester Wines Petit Rosé 2025
McGregor Winery Brut Rosé 2024
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Black Bird Merlot NV
Nuy Winery Inspiration Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Nuy Winery Inpiration Moscato Perlé 2022
Robertson Winery Beaukett 2025
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Brut Blanc de Blanc NV
Gravel Junction Three Peaks Cabernet Sauvignon 2024
Villiersdorp Winery Slow Rosé 2025
Spier Wine Farm Spier Seaward Sauvignon Blanc 2024
Nuy Winery Inspiration Colombar 2025
Robertson Winery Shiraz 2024
Landskroon Chardonnay 2025
Van Loveren Family Vineyards VRL Moscato Perle Rose' NV
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Cabernet Sauvignon 2024
Gravel Junction Sweet Lips White NV
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Godfather Pinot Gris NV
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar Signature Chardonnay 2025
Alvi's Drift Private Cellar 221 Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Gravel Junction Unbelievable Sweet Red NV
Nuy Winery Inspiration Sauvignon Blanc Sparkling 2025
Saxenburg Guinea Fowl Chenin Blanc 2025
Spier Wine Farm Spier Signature Chenin Blanc 2025
uniWines Vineyards Meander Moscato Pink NV
The Cape Wine Company Juno Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Gravel Junction Unbelievable Sparkling Dry White NV
Van Loveren Family Vineyards VRL Special Late Harvest Gewurztraminer 2025
Nicholson Smith Agencies Pandora's Box The Bell Pepper Cabernet Sauvignon NV
uniWines Vineyards Meander Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Koelenhof Wynkelder Stellenbosch Gold Chenin Blanc 2025
Mcgregor Wines McGregor Winery Colombard 2025
Robertson Winery Gewurztraminer 2025
The Cape Wine Company Juno Grenache Noir 2025
Van Loveren Family Vineyards Four Cousins Gold Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Villiersdorp Winery Sauvignon Blanc 2025
Vin de Classique International Vrede Vineyard Select 2023
Gravel Junction Unbelievable Sparkling Rosé NV
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