BELIEVE it or not, Vivino claims to have over 74m users of their website/app and over 19m wine listings – millions of wine lovers sharing their experiences. From their HQ in Copenhagen, Denmark: “Our community has rated and reviewed millions of wines, creating the most comprehensive database of what real consumers actually think. Whether it's a weeknight red or a special occasion splurge, someone in our community has tried it and shared their thoughts.”
So, during the first couple of months in 2026, South African IT services and consulting outfit Codera Analytics published some blogs focusing on Vivino ratings of South African wines, specifically with a view to exploring the best value for money at various price tiers. The top red and white wines according to Codera's findings: at under R100pb, Van Loveren African Java Pinotage 2025 and Stellenbosch Vineyards Bushvine Chenin Blanc 2024; at R100 to R200pb, Spice Route Pinotage 2024 and Springfield Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2025; at R200 to R300pb, Springfield Work of Time 2020 (Bordeaux-style blend) and Fryer's Cove Bamboes Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2024; at R300 to R400pb, Saronsberg Shiraz 2021 and Springfield Méthode Ancienne Chardonnay 2021; and at over R400pb, the red blend De Toren Fusion V 2019 and Jordan Nine Yards Chardonnay 2023.
As Codera CEO Dr Daan Steenkamp explains, their rankings are based on the total ratings of a wine relative to its price. “Our methodology upweights wines with many ratings, so it does tend to favour more popular ‘supermarket' wines.” He stresses though that “wine ratings are inherently subjective”. The Vivino community rates wines with the labels in front of them and knowing what they're priced at – Vivino is also in the business of selling wine via an international network of retail merchants. “For our main posts we upweighted wines with many ratings,” says Steenkamp, “as small samples can be unreliable… If someone spends R2000 on a bottle, they are very likely to score it very highly.”
Top Wine SA keeps tabs on the country's most highly rated wines according to the leading panels of wine experts locally and around the globe, tasting ‘blind', with the various listings including a page on the most applauded at under R200 a bottle. At the time of writing, the following were Codera's rankings of South African white and red wines selling at under R200pb on the basis of Vivino ratings, considering the number of ratings recorded for each wine as well as the average rating (out of 5 Stars), with those included in the SA Wine Classification highlighted in red:
BEST VALUE SA WHITES BELOW R200
1 Springfield Life from Stone Sauvignon B 2025: R139, 4.2 Stars
2 Remhoogte Honeybunch Reserve Chenin 2025: R165, 4.2 Stars
3 Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc 2025: R170, 4.2 Stars
4 Oak Valley Fountain of Youth Sauvignon B 2024: R110, 3.9 Stars
5 Vrede en Lust Anni Sauvignon Blanc 2024: R130, 3.8 Stars
6 Paul Cluver Sauvignon Blanc 2024: R157, 3.8 Stars
7 Neil Ellis Sauvignon Blanc 2024: R140, 3.7 Stars
8 Simonsig Sunbird Sauvignon Blanc 2024: R124, 3.7 Stars
9 Allesverloren Chenin Blanc 2025: R120, 3.6 Stars
10 Nederburg The Winemaster's Sauvignon B 2024: R106, 3.5 Stars
BEST VALUE 10 SA REDS BELOW R200
1 Spice Route Pinotage 2024: R140, 4 Stars
2 Cloof The Very Sexy Shiraz 2021: R120, 3.8 Stars
3 Nederburg The Winemaster's Pinotage 2017: R151, 3.7 Stars
4 La Motte Millennium 2022 (Blend): R130, 3.7 Stars
5 Bonnievale The River Collection Pinotage 2024: R108, 3.7 Stars
6 Painted Wolf The Den Pinotage 2023: R 110, 3.7 Stars
7 Zonnebloem Pinotage 2022 (Heineken): R135, 3.7 Stars
8 Nederburg The Winemaster's Cabernet S 2021: R129, 3.5 Stars
9 Durbanville Hills Pinotage 2020: R105, 3.5 Stars
10 Nederburg The Winemaster's Shiraz 2020: R140, 3.5 Stars
However, for those who prefer a less complicated approach to determining good value for monty – sans algorithms and the like – the following were the most highly rated South African wines below R200pb on Vivino at the time of writing, with those included in the SA Wine Classification highlighted in red:
TOP-RATED SA WINES UNDER R200
WHITE
Ayama Vermentino 2024
R125pb ex-cellar, Voor Paardeberg-Paarl – 4.2 Stars
Diemersdal Winter Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2025
R175pb ex-cellar, Durbanville – 4.2 Stars
Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc 2025
R199pb ex-cellar, Darling – 4.2 Stars
Mont Blois Groot Steen Chenin Blanc 2020
R199pb ex-cellar, Robertson – 4.3 Stars
Nederburg Private Bin D266 Semillon 2012
R195pb ex-Heineken Vinoteque – 4.2 Stars
Springfield Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2025
R139pb ex-cellar, Robertson – 4.3 Stars
Springfield Special Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2025
R138pb ex-cellar, Robertson – 4.2 Stars
RED
Capaia One 2022 (Red Blend)
R195pb ex-cellar, Philadelphia – 4.2 Stars
Jan Harmsgat Pinotage 2021
R180pb ex-cellar, Bonnievale – 4.2 Stars
Raka Quinary 2021 (Red Blend)
R190pb ex-cellar, Klein River-Stanford – 4.2 Stars
Raka Biography Shiraz 2022
R199pb ex-cellar, Klein River-Stanford – 4.2 Stars
DESSERT
Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc Noble Late Harvest 2024
R150pb ex-cellar, Durbanville – 4.2 Stars
FORTIFIED
Allesverloren Port 2021
R175pb ex-cellar in Riebeek West – 4.2 Stars
Ahem! Also included among the most highly rated SA wines at under R200pb according to Vivino at the time of writing were the vine-dried Amarone-style Asara Avalon 2017 rated 4.5 Stars at R1pb (vs R1495 ex-cellar in Stellenbosch), Remhoogte Honeybunch Reserve Chenin Blanc 2025 rated 4.2 Stars at R165pb (vs R355 ex-cellar in Stellenbosch), and Stellenbosch Hills 1707 Reserve Red 2021 rated 4.3 Stars at R186pb (vs R243 ex-cellar).