Perold wins at Veritas ’25… But what was it up against?

NO MEAN FEAT! The most highly rated of over 1200 entries in the 2025 edition of the longest-running and biggest South African wine and spirit competition… The 2022 vintage of The Mentors Perold is the third wine from the KWV cellars in Paarl to win the Vertex Trophy at the annual Veritas Awards organised by the country's National Wine Show Association. In 2024 it was the 2020 vintage of The Mentors Perold that got the nod. Back-to-back. What are the chances! And before that, in 2020, the Vertex Award went to The Mentors Orchestra 2018. Three wins during the past six years! The winemaker: Izele van Blerk.

Whereas The Mentors Orchestra is a Cape Bordeaux-style blend with Cabernet Sauvignon leading the way, the 2022 Perold comprises equal parts Pinotage, Shiraz and Cab (30% of each) with Malbec making up the balance – 70% of the grapes from vineyards in Stellenbosch, 18% from Wellington and 12% from the Swartland. The wine is named in honour of Stellenbosch Prof Abraham Perold, who crossed Pinot Noir and Hermitage (Cinsault) in 1924, the first Pinotage seeds planted in 1925 and, well, the rest is history.

The 2022 Perold was expected to be released onto the market during the second half of October '25. Luxury-priced if you're paying in local currency: R799pb. Total production: 4800 litres (fewer than 6500 bottles). And such consistency, with the 2021 scored 95 at the Decanter World Wine Awards in London and earlier vintages regular winners at the Pinotage Association's Cape Blend Competition.

The 2025 Veritas entries were assessed by 88 international and local judges over five days, with each of the panels who reviewed the various categories tasting ‘blind' in groups of five. On the panel to re-judge the top-scoring wines in deciding on the Vertex Award winner were: from outside the country, sommelier Adero Achola (Kenya), wine writer and senior judge at the International Wine Challenge Christine Austin (UK), wine educator Yoshiko Takahashi (Japan), wine writer Treve Ring (Canada), BBC presenter and senior judge at the International Wine Challenge Joe Wadsack (UK); and from South Africa, Christo Pienaar (Veritas chair), Bennie Howard CWM (Veritas vice-chair), De Wet Viljoen (Wildekrans cellarmaster and vice-chair of the Pinotage Association), Cathy van Zyl MW and Erna Bacquart, lecturer and researcher at Stellenbosch University.

There were 88 double gold and 182 gold medals awarded to the judges favourite wines and spirits, 683 silvers and 188 bronzes – 1141 of the 1205 entries from 170 entrants considered worthy of a medal. At the time of writing, it was not clear when or if the scores out of 100 would be divulged. It would be nice to know what the other most highly rated wines were, i.e. besides the 2022 Perold. See below for various outright winners in the wine categories – many classes were topped by a number of double gold medallists, which can range in score from 93 to 100. For all of the double golds and golds, click here, and for all 1141 award winners, click here.

White Wines

BEST UNWOODED WHITE BLEND
Ghost Corner The Bowline 2024
R250pb ex-Cederberg Wines, Cederberg

BEST WOODED WHITE BLEND
Blake's Tourmaline 2024
R178pb ex-producer, Yzerfontein-Swartland

BEST UNWOODED CHARDONNAY
Hoopenburg Chardonnay 2024
R105pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch

BEST WOODED SAUVIGNON BLANC
Ghost Corner Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2024
R340pb ex-Cederberg Wines, Cederberg

BEST SEMILLON
Ghost Corner Semillon 2024 (wooded)
R250pb ex-Cederberg Wines, Cederberg

BEST VIOGNIER
Bruce Jack Reserve Viognier 2023 (off-dry)
R160pb ex-cellar, Napier

BEST NICHE/OTHER WHITE CULTIVAR
Merwida Papenkuils Waterblommetjie Pinot Grigio 2025
R84pb ex-cellar, Rawsonville-Breedekloof

Red Wines

BEST CAPE BLEND
KWV The Mentors Perold 2022
R799pb ex-cellar, Paarl

BEST CAPE RHÔNE-STYLE BLEND
Spier Creative Block 3 2021
R250pb ex-cellar, Vlottenburg-Stellenbosch

Fortified Wines

BEST DESSERT WINE
Botha Kelder Sjanter Hanepoot 2024
R95pb ex-cellar, Breedekloof

BEST WHITE MUSCADEL
Nuy Inspiration White Muskadel 2023
R95pb ex-cellar, Nuy Valley-Worcester

Museum Class

BEST CAP CLASSIQUE SPARKLING
Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2017
KWV cellar, Paarl

BEST RED WINE
Nederburg Private Bin R163 Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
Cellar in Paarl

BEST CAPE PORT
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2015
Cellar in Calitzdorp-Klein Karoo