Absa Top 10

GO PULPIT ROCK! At just R90pb, the Brink Family Vineyards 2019 from the Pulpit Rock winery in Riebeek West is one of the standouts among the 2022 Absa Top 10 Pinotage Award winners. Windmeul of Paarl is the closest contender in terms of ‘best bang for your buck’ – R150pb for their 2019 Reserve but a track record impressive enough to also put it among the Top 10 of this variety in the SA Wine Classification.

Another of the standouts is the Winemakers Reserve 2018 from Beyerskloof in Stellenbosch, competitively priced plus a laureate in the UK wine magazine Decanter where it was scored 95 points earlier in the year. And to single out one more: the 2016 Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage, also among the top wines in the Classification as well as a 95-pointer at the 2022 International Wine & Spirit Competition, London.

See below for the names of all the Top 10, chosen from 130 entries, with none of the winning cellars new to this podium. The judges: wine writer Samarie Smith (panel convenor), winemaker Fred Viljoen (Viljoensdrift), viticulturist Solly Monyamane (Beyerskloof), winemaker Etienne Louw (Nitida, Orpheus & The Raven) and Cape Wine Master Jacques Steyn (Jordan).

ABSA TOP 10

Beeslaar Pinotage 2020
R620pb ex-producer, Stellenbosch

Beyerskloof Winemakers Reserve 2018
R260pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch

Bowwood Pinotage 2019
R390pb ex-Vondeling cellar, Voor Paardeberg-Paarl

Brink Pinotage 2019
R90pb ex-Pulpit Rock cellar, Riebeek West-Swartland

Flagstone Writer’s Block Pinotage 2020
R350pb ex-cellar, Somerset West

Kanonkop Pinotage 2019
R490pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch

Neil Ellis Bottelary Hills Pinotage 2018
R395pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch

Rijk’s Reserve Pinotage 2016
R560pb ex-cellar, Tulbagh

Simonsig Redhill Pinotage 2019
R500pb ex-cellar, Koelenhof-Stellenbosch

Windmeul Reserve Pinotage 2019
R150pb ex-cellar, Paarl

ALSO FINALISTS

Beeslaar Pinotage 2019
R620pb ex-producer, Stellenbosch

Beyerskloof Diesel Pinotage 2020
R950pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch

Bowwood Pinotage 2018
R390pb ex-Vondeling cellar, Voor Paardeberg-Paarl

De Grendel Amandelboord Pinotage 2019
R235pb ex-cellar, Panorama-Durbanville

Diemersdal Pinotage Reserve 2016
R160pb ex-cellar, Durbanville

Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve Promenade Pinotage 2019
R145pb ex-cellar, Durbanville

La Cave Pinotage 2019
R220pb ex-Wellington Wines cellar

Survivor Pinotage 2020
R200pb ex-Overhex cellar, Worcester

Survivor Reserve Pinotage 2020
R400pb ex-Overhex cellar, Worcester

Windmeul Legend Pinotage 2020
R350pb ex-cellar, Paarl