IN THE 2026 Star Wine List of the Year competition for Africa and the Middle East, those of Cape Town’s Aubergine restaurant in Barnet Street, Grub & Vine Bree Street restaurant with its Culture Wine Bar alongside, and the Lunacy wine bar in the city's Harrington Street were applauded as the best on the continent.
Harald Bresselschmidt’s Aubergine won the Special Jury Prize and was among the runners-up in the Best Long List category for establishments offering over 600 wines; Matt Manning’s Grub & Vine placed first in the Best Medium-Sized List category for entrants with between 200 and 600 wines on offer and was a runner-up in the Best By-the-Glass category, won by the Culture Wine Bar on the same premises, which was also among the runners-up in the categories for Best Long List and Best Sparkling Wine List; with Lunacy, owned by Tomas Ferreira and Bryan Judd, coming top in the category for Best Newcomer List and among the runners-up for Best By-the-Glass List and Best Medium-Sized List.
On the jury: sommelier Julie Dupouy-Young of Ireland, Master Sommelier Jonathan Gouveia of Copenhagen, Denmark, and London-based Master Sommelier Stefan Neumann of Austria. What Gouveia MS had to say about Aubergine, where the sommelier is Ralph Reynolds: “A true reference point in its country of origin, and a go-to place for exploring the vast and diverse national wine country and culture. There is an honest commitment to showcasing the very best the country has to offer, but you'll also find excellent wines from producers from abroad.” And about the Culture Wine Bar: “An outstanding by-the-glass programme showcasing the complexity and depth of South African wines, alongside a thoughtfully curated international selection. Diverse, ambitious, and genuinely exciting” – Dupouy-Young.
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Besides the international Star Wine List of the Year competitions, there are also Star Wine List Guides focusing on various towns and cities around the world. These comprise wine bar and restaurant recommendations by ambassadors for the organisation who are based in or near these places and who update the guides on a regular basis.
Sommelier and Star Wine List ambassador Erica Taylor's choice of 12 Great Wine Bars in Cape Town 2026: Arthur’s Mini Super (Arthur’s Rd Sea Point), Cassette (Main Rd Sea Point), Cooper (Main Rd Sea Point), Culture Wine Bar (Bree St), Judd’s Local (Kloof St Gardens), Leo’s (Bree St), Lunacy (Harrington St), Openwine (Bree St), Publik (Kloof Nek Rd Gardens), Sin Cero (Kloof St Gardens), The Blue Room (Bree St) and Vine & Dandy (Gardens). Her recommended Great Restaurant Winelists in Cape Town 2026: Aubergine (Barnet St Gardens), Belthazar (V&A Waterfront), Chapman’s Peak Hotel (Hout Bay), ëlgr (Kloof St Gardens), Ellerman House (Bantry Bay), FYN (Parliament St), Grub & Vine (Bree St), La Colombe (Constantia Nek), Ouzeri (Wale St), PIER (V&A Waterfront), Tannin (Bree St), The Pot Luck Club (Old Biscuit Mill Woodstock) and The Waterside (V&A Waterfront).
Taylor’s selection of 11 Great Wine Bars and Restaurants in Stellenbosch 2026: Eike (Dorp St), Jordan (Stellenbosch Kloof), Lanzerac Taphuis (Jonkershoek), Post & Pepper (c/o of Bird & Plein St), Rust en Vrede (Annandale Rd), Simon Wine Emporium (c/o of Ryneveld & Van Riebeeck St), Spek & Bone (Dorp St), Stellenbosch Wine Bar (Church St), The Restaurant at Delaire Graff (Helshoogte), The Vine Bistro (Glenelly Estate) and The Wine Glass (Ryneveld St).
Sommelier and Star Wine List ambassador Tawanda Marume's choice of The 8 Best Wine Bars in Johannesburg: Mr Pants (Blairgowrie), Proud Mary (Rosebank), SanDeck Sandton Sun (Sandhurst), Saxon Hotel (Sandhurst), Signature (Morningside), Tang (Nelson Mandela Square Sandton), The Butcher Shop & Grill (Nelson Mandela Square Sandton) and Winebar by Father Coffee (Kramerville). His recommended Great Restaurant Winelists in Johannesburg 2026: Aurum (The Leonardo Sandton), Embarc (Parkhurst), Ethos (Rosebank), Fairlawns Boutique Hotel (Morningside), KOL Izakhaya (Hyde Park), Marble (Rosebank), Proud Mary (Rosebank), Saint (Sandton), SanDeck Sandton Sun (Sandhurst), Saxon Hotel (Sandhurst), Signature (Morningside), Tang (Nelson Mandela Square Sandton), The 11th Floor (Bedfordview), The Blockman (Parkhurst), The Butcher Shop & Grill (Nelson Mandela Square Sandton), The Prawnery (Rosebank) and Zioux (Sandton).
Marume’s selection of 8 Great Wine Bars and Restaurants in Pretoria 2026: Brasserie de Paris (Waterkloof Ridge), Capito (Hazelwood), Forti Too (Lynnwood Manor), Ivory Manor Boutique Hotel (Rietvalleirand), Kream Brooklyn (Nieuw Muckleneuk), PRIVA (Waterkloof Heights), The Wine Shop by Caraffa (Alphen Park) plus Vee & Forti (Lynnwood Glen).