Veritas Awards revisited… The scores of all the double golds

WELL, 99% of them…  A few of the wine producers who entered the 2025 Veritas Awards and went on to win double gold either didn't respond to queries about their scores or preferred to leave it at that – double gold being the highest accolade at the show besides the Vertex Award for the most highly rated wine in the competition. However, most entrants were happy to talk about the scores their wines had earned from the judging panels who were rating according to a 100-point scale. The points were not announced to the general public, but the Veritas organisers supplied them to the winemakers on the understanding that it was up to them to decide whether or not to go public with the figures – figures that speak to just how glowing the reviews of the 82 double gold wines were.

That said, the scores disclosed to the wine producers are those that the wines were given in the initial rounds of panel tastings, not those in the final round of judging where all of the double gold winners (93 points or higher) were re-assessed to determine the Vertex trophy winner, The Mentors Perold 2022 from the KWV in Paarl – a Cape Blend that impressed the Vertex panel more than it appealed to that which considered it double gold-worthy in the first instance. Other standouts include the 2021 vintage of the Cape Bordeaux-style red blend Donatus from Dornier in Upper Blaauwklippen-Stellenbosch, the non-vintage Cape Tawny (Port) from the KWV, the 2023 Endura Single Vineyard Chenin Blanc from Perdeberg in Paarl and the 2017 Barbieri Idro Red Muscadel from Nuy in Worcester.

See below for what was established regarding the scores of the 2025 Veritas double gold-winning wines. For more about the awards, the Vertex laureate and earlier coverage of the 2025 edition of the competition on Top Wine SA, click here, and for the prices of the wines and the location of the cellars, click here. Interesting that in the biggest of South Africa's wine competitions there was only a single Chardonnay among the double gold winners, and an unwooded version at that. The most successful white wine class: Chenin Blanc, with 12 double golds – eight wooded and four unwooded. The most successful red wine class: Pinotage, with nine double golds.

DOUBLE GOLD WINNERS – WHITE

CHARDONNAY
93 – Hoopenburg 2024 – Unwooded

CHENIN BLANC
95 – Endura Single Vineyard 2023 (Perdeberg) – Wooded
94 – Survivor Reserve 2022 – Wooded
93 – Bellingham Bernard Series Old Vine Cape Town 2024 – Wooded
93 – Bellingham Homestead Old Orchards 2025 – Wooded
93 – Groot Phesantekraal 2025 – Unwooded
93 – McGregor 2025 – Unwooded
93 – Perdeberg Dry Land Barrel Fermented 2024
93 – Spier 21 Gables 2023 – Wooded
93 – Spier Woolworths Private Collection 2024 – Unwooded
Rudmatis 2022 – Wooded
Rudmatis 2023 – Wooded
Van Loveren No. 5 2025 – Unwooded

SAUVIGNON BLANC
94 – Boschendal Elgin 2024 – Unwooded
93 – Ghost Corner 2024 (Cederberg Cellar) – Unwooded
93 – Ghost Corner Wild Ferment 2024 (Cederberg Cellar) – Wooded
93 – Rietvallei 2025 – Unwooded

SEMILLON
94 – Ghost Corner 2024 (Cederberg Cellar) – Wooded

VIOGNIER
93 – Bruce Jack Reserve 2023 – Wooded

NICHE VARIETIES
93 – Merwida Papenkuils Waterblommetjie Pinot Grigio 2025 – Unwooded

WHITE BLENDS
93 – Blake's Tourmaline 2024 – Wooded
93 – Perdeberg Dry Land Rossouw's Heritage 2022 – Wooded
93 – Ghost Corner Bowline 2024 (Cederberg Cellar) – Unwooded
93 – Walker Bay Semillon Sauvignon Blanc 2022 – Unwooded

DOUBLE GOLDS – SPARKLING

CAP CLASSIQUE
93 – Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs 2019
93 – Graham Beck Cuvée Clive 2019
93 – Graham Beck Pinot Noir Rosé 2019
93 – Graham Beck Ultra Brut 2018
93 – Kleine Zalze Vintage Brut 2019
93 – Krone Twee Jonge Gezellen Blanc de Blancs 2021
93 – Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2017
Bon Courage Jacques Bruére Brut Reserve 2016

DOUBLE GOLD WINNERS – ROSÉ

ROSÉ WINES
93 – Darling Cellars Reserve Pyjama Bush Sauvignon Blanc Grenache 2025
Van Loveren Daydream Chardonnay Pinot Noir 2025

DOUBLE GOLD WINNERS – RED

CABERNET FRANC
93 – Glenelly Glass Collection 2021
Landskroon Paul de Villiers 2022

CABERNET SAUVIGNON
94 – Kleine Zalze Family Reserve 2020
93 – Neil Ellis Stellenbosch 2021
93 – Villion 2022
Nederburg Private Bin R163 2015

MERLOT
93 – Villiera Monro 2022
93 – Vredenheim 2023
Meinert Ironveil 2020

PETIT VERDOT
93 – Glen Carlou Collection 2021
93 – KWV Mentors 2022

PINOTAGE
94 – Flagstone Time Manner Place 2022
94 – Koelenbosch Director's Reserve 2022  (Koelenhof)
94 – La Cave 2023 (Wellington Wines)
93 – Beeslaar 2023
93 – Beyerskloof Diesel 2021
93 – Carlo 2022 (Stellenbosch Family Wines)
93 – Diemersdal Journal 2022
93 – Diemersdal Journal 2023
93 – Flagstone Writer's Block 2022

SHIRAZ / SYRAH
94 – Old Road Pepper Wind 2024
93 – DeMorgenzon Reserve 2021
93 – RAAR Carbonic Maceration 2024 (Riebeek)
93 – Tokara 2022
Alto 2020
Durbanville Hills Collectors Reserve 2023

RED BLENDS – CAPE BORDEAUX-STYLE
98 – Dornier Donatus 2021
93 – Babylonstoren Nebukadnesar 2023

RED BLENDS – CAPE RHÔNE-STYLE
94 – Spier Creative Block 3 2021

CAPE BLENDS – PINOTAGE-DRIVEN
Winner – KWV Mentors Perold 2022
94 – Beyerskloof Faith 2022
94 – KWV Mentors Perold 2021

RED BLENDS – VARIOUS COMBINATIONS
93 – Boplaas Family Reserve Ring of Rocks  2022
93 – KWV Mentors Canvas 2021
93 – KWV Mentors Canvas 2022
93 – KWV Roodeberg Dr Charles Niehaus 2022
93 – KWV Roodeberg Reserve 2022

DOUBLE GOLDS – SWEET

NOBLE LATE HARVEST
Nederburg Private Bin Edelkeur Chenin Blanc 2011
Nederburg Private Bin Semillon 2000

DOUBLE GOLDS – FORTIFIED SWEET

MUSCAT
95 – Nuy Barbieri Idro Red Muscadel 2017
93 – Botha Sjanter Hanepoot 2024
93 – Nuy Inspiration White Muscadel 2023
Aan de Doorns Red Muscadel 2022

CAPE PORT
96 – KWV Cape Tawny NV
93 – Boplaas Cape Tawny NV
93 – Boplaas Cape Vintage Reserve 2009
93 – Delaire Graff Cape Vintage 2022
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2015