HOW ABOUT THAT! Two wins in succession for the Riebeek Valley Wine Co in the SA Winemag's annual Prescient Shiraz Report, with the Riebeek-Kasteel winery's RAAR Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2024 chosen as the panel's absolute favourite in 2025 after the 2023 vintage triumphed in the previous competition. Only five 500L barrels made. Only R188pb for a champion Shiraz!
Also rated 95 points in the 2025 report… and also from the Swartland, was Die Nagmuis Bush Vine Syrah 2023 of Charles Back's Klein Amoskuil cellar in Malmesbury, with De Villiers Graaff's De Grendel farm in Panorama on the Durbanville wine route also up there featuring a wine made using grapes brought in from Ceres.
There were 71 entries from 53 producers. On the panel: Winemag editor Christian Eedes, wine writer Malu Lambert and ‘hospitality specialist' Francois Rautenbach. See below for all of their top-rated wines, and for the full report click here.
95/100
De Grendel Op die Berg Syrah 2023
R355pb ex-cellar, Panorama-Durbanville
Klein Amoskuil Die Nagmuis Bush Vine Syrah 2023
R235pb ex-cellar, Malmesbury-Swartland
RAAR Shiraz Carbonic Maceration 2024
R188pb ex-Riebeek Valley cellar, Riebeek-Kasteel-Swartland
94/100
Glenelly Glass Collection Syrah 2022
R175pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch
Groot Phesantekraal Syrah 2023
R179pb ex-cellar, Durbanville
Kasteelberg Syrah 2024
R278pb ex-Riebeek Valley cellar, Riebeek-Kasteel-Swartland
Stellenbosch Reserve Kruithuis Syrah 2022
R200pb ex-cellar, Helderberg-Stellenbosch
Von Sir Shiraz 2023
R200pb ex-producer, Stellenbosch
93/100
Christiena Trousseau Syrah 2022
R260pb ex-Van Loveren cellar, Robertson
De Grendel Op die Berg Syrah 2022
R350pb ex-cellar, Panorama-Durbanville
Diemersdal Shiraz 2023
R130pb ex-cellar, Durbanville
Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Syrah 2022
R230pb ex-cellar, Stellenbosch
Windmeul Shiraz 2022
R85pb ex-cellar, Windmeul-Paarl
