The Pinotage Association received 56 entries: 37 Cape Blends from 28 producers and 19 Pinotage Rosés from 19 producers. The Cape Blends represented 13 production areas and the Rosés 12, giving the judging panel a view of wines made across a broad range of origins.
This year’s total follows 59 entries in 2025, comprising 39 Cape Blends and 20 Rosés. The Cape Blend competition began in 2011 with 37 wines from 32 producers, reached 56 entries in 2015 and returns to 37 entries this year. The figures show a competition with a continuing producer base, while leaving room to bring more wines into the judging process.
Rosé participation has also varied. The supplied records begin with 14 entries from 14 producers in 2017, rising to 27 wines from 25 producers in 2021. In 2026, each of the 19 Rosé producers entered one wine. These are competition entry figures, rather than measures of wine sales or consumer demand.
The judging panel included Charles Hopkins, Guy Webber and Estelle Lourens. With Cape Blends and Rosés asking different things of Pinotage, the awards provide an opportunity to recognise quality across both styles.
“The quality of these wines shows how versatile Pinotage can be. In a Cape Blend, it can contribute fruit, structure and depth while working with the other varieties. As a Rosé, it can offer freshness, delicate fruit and balance. The styles are different, but the same care is needed: sound fruit, thoughtful winemaking and a clear idea of the wine the producer wants to make,” Charles Hopkins – 2026 panel convener.
“This recognition matters to the people who grow the grapes and make the wines,” says De Wet Viljoen, Deputy Chairman of the Pinotage Association. “A good result represents decisions made throughout the year, from the vineyard to the final blend. We want to acknowledge producers who have put that work into wines of great quality, whether they are making a Cape Blend or a Rosé.”
The six awarded Cape Blends span the 2022, 2023 and 2024 vintages, with three from 2024. Their origins include Stellenbosch, the Coastal Region, Cape Coast and the Western Cape. Jakkalsvlei’s awards in both categories offer a particularly direct example of a producer working successfully with Pinotage in two forms.
2026 Perold Absa Cape Blend award winners
- Flagstone Winery, Flagstone Dragon Tree Cape Blend, 2023, WO Cape Coast
- Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar, Jakkalsvlei Mount Cuvée Cape Blend, 2024, WO Western Cape
- KWV, KWV The Mentors Perold 2023, WO Coastal Region
- Neethlingshof Estate, Neethlingshof Tors, 2024, WO Stellenbosch
- Perdeberg Group, Perdeberg Endura Winemaker’s Selection Cape Blend, 2024, WO Coastal Region
- Stellenbosch Hills, Stellenbosch Hills Suikerboschrand, 2022, WO Stellenbosch
2026 Finalists
- Beyerskloof Wines, Beyerskloof Faith Cape Blend, 2023, WO Stellenbosch
- Koelenhof Wine Cellar, Koelenbosch Nineteenfortyone, 2024, WO Western Cape
- KWV, KWV The Mentors Perold, 2021, WO Coastal Region
- Pulpit Rock Winery, Pulpit Rock Louisa Cape Red Blend, 2021, WO Stellenbosch
All six Rosé winners are from the 2026 vintage. Their production notes show how decisions about harvest, pressing and skin contact shape the finished wine. Bon Courage harvested early in the morning and gently pressed its grapes. Pulpit Rock used four hours of skin contact to achieve a light pink colour, followed by approximately two months on the lees after fermentation.
These details make the category interesting beyond colour alone. Producers can use Pinotage to make Rosés with different expressions of fruit and texture, giving wine drinkers more to explore within the same grape variety.
Internationally, rosé has an established audience, although its performance differs between markets. The Global Rosé Observatory, produced by FranceAgriMer and the Conseil Interprofessionnel des Vins de Provence, recorded worldwide consumption of 18.5 million hectolitres in 2023. Consumption was below its 2019 peak, but rosé’s share had increased over the longer term in most of the 46 countries studied, compared with 2012–2014.
In South Africa, Statistics South Africa added rosé wine as a distinct product to its consumer price index basket in 2025, reflecting its place in measured household spending. This does not establish a growth rate for South African Pinotage Rosé, but it does underline rosé’s relevance within the broader wine market.
2026 Absa Pinotage Rosé award winners
- Bon Courage Estate, Bon Courage Lady of the House Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Robertson
- Deetlefs Wines Estate, Deetlefs Stonecross Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Western Cape
- Jakkalsvlei Private Cellar, Jakkalsvlei Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Herbertsdale
- Merwida Wine Cellar, Merwida Papenkuils Vlei Vygie Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Breedekloof
- Pulpit Rock Winery, Pulpit Rock Stories Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Swartland
- Rooiberg Winery, Rooiberg Winery Pinotage Rosé, 2026, WO Robertson
Growing participation and discovery
For Association Chairman Beyers Truter, the next step is to encourage wider participation and help more wine drinkers discover the awarded wines.
“We must keep growing these competitions,” says Truter. “More entries bring more producers into the conversation and give us a stronger view of the quality being made across our wine regions. The awards also give people a practical starting point: twelve wines to seek out, taste and talk about. That is how recognition can lead to a wider audience for Pinotage.”
The Pinotage Association congratulates the producers of all twelve winning wines and thanks Absa for its continued support of the competitions and its longstanding partnership.
The six winners of the 2026 Perold Absa Cape Blend Competition will receive a tuna-fishing expedition sponsored by TNCoopers. Our thanks go to the TNCoopers South
For more information, contact brand@pinotage.co.za, visit pinotage.co.za for more info on the winners.