THREE wines top-scored at South Africa's 2025 Fine Wine Awards: the 2020 vintage of The High Road Director's Reserve from Les Sweiden's cellar at Bosman's Crossing in Stellenbosch where Miles Mossop is the consulting winemaker, a Cab-led red blend that regularly receives warm to glowing reviews from the top panels; the 2018 vintage of winemaker Pierre Louw's Cabernet Franc from the Konen family's Lynx winery in Franschhoek, a wine that's been attracting increasing attention in recent years; and the 2022 Amphora Chenin Blanc from winemaker Michiel du Toit at the Rahmann's Asara Estate outside Stellenbosch, which is fairly new to the Chenin hierarchy in the Cape winelands.
The second edition of the competition, convened by the Wine-of-the-Month Club and sponsored by American Express, involved the tasting of 935 wines and culminated in an awards function at the Asara Hotel. 74 wines were honoured with gold awards (95 points or higher), 394 with silvers (90 to 94) and 439 with bronzes (85 to 89). Only 28 wines failed to earn an award, whereas at the top end of the points spectrum, 15 of the gold medallists were judged worthy of trophies, with 10 of them scored 96 and three rated 97. Amazingly, 26 of the gold winners were priced below R200 a bottle, with three of them under R100pb – a Shiraz, the 2023 Stellenbosch Gold at R80 from Koelenhof Winery in Stellenbosch, plus two Sauvignon Blancs, the 2025 Van Loveren of Robertson at R80 and the 2024 Stellenbosch Hills at R97.
This year’s panel: sommelier Wayve Kolevsohn, Reciprocal Wine's Tarryn Vincent, Master of Wine Cathy van Zyl, Cape Wine Masters Janine van Zyl, Irina von Holdt, Clive Torr, Rene Groenewald and Heidi Duminy, Wine-of-the-Month Club's Colin Collard, Claude Felbert, and wine writer Samarie Smith-Meletiou. The first round of judging took place over five days, with the top five wines from various categories blind-tasted again on day six to determine the trophy winners.
TOP-SCORING WHITES
Asara Amphora Chenin Blanc 2022
R350pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch
Nitida Semillon 2024
R145pb ex-cellar, Durbanville
Nitida Wild Child Sauvignon Blanc 2024
R190pb ex-cellar, Durbanville
Perdeberg Dry Land Roussouw's Heritage 2023 (White Blend)
R200pb ex-cellar, Paarl
Survivor Chardonnay 2023
R250pb ex-Van Loveren, Robertson
TOP-SCORING REDS
Christiena Syrah 2022
R260pb ex-Van Loveren cellar, Robertson
Flagstone Truth Tree Pinotage 2021
R170pb ex-cellar, Somerset West / Strand
High Road Director's Reserve 2020 (Red Blend)
R795pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch
Lynx Cabernet Franc 2018
R250pb ex-cellar, Franschhoek
Tokara Reserve Cabernet Sauvignon 2021
R420pb ex-cellar, Helshoogte-Stellenbosch
TOP-SCORING SPARKLING
Peter Falke Noelina 2018 (Cap Classique)
R340pb ex-cellar, Helderberg-Stellenbosch
TOP-SCORING SWEETS
De Krans Cape Tawny NV (Port)
R240pb ex-cellar, Calitzdorp-Klein Karoo
Piekenierskloof Samson Straw Wine NV
R360pb (375ml) ex-cellar, Piekenierskloof
ALSO TROPHY WINNERS
Anco Spontaan 2023 (Red Blend)
R350pb ex-cellar, Paarl
Le Bonheur Merlot 2021
R125pb ex-cellar, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch