Award-winning South African wines: How the Cape Competes on the World Stage
In the last two decades, South African wines have moved from emerging curiosity to serious contenders at the world’s most influential wine competitions. Medals and high scores from global panels now sit alongside local benchmarks such as Platter’s and Veritas, a clear signal of how far the Cape has come in quality and consistency.
For wine lovers at home and abroad, these awards offer a useful way to navigate the growing number of labels from South Africa. They help highlight producers that combine site, skill and consistency, rather than relying on one lucky vintage.
The Major Global Wine Awards
Several international competitions and critics are widely seen as global reference points. While each has its own rules and style, they all rely on blind tastings and experienced panels.
Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA)
The Decanter World Wine Awards is currently the world’s largest wine competition, with more than 18,000 wines from over 50 countries judged blind each year by Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers and specialist critics. Medals range from Bronze to Silver and Gold, then up to Platinum and the very limited Best in Show category, which is reserved for a tiny handful of the highest scoring wines. In recent years, South Africa has steadily increased its tally of Gold and Platinum medals at DWWA, and has begun to appear in the Best in Show ranks as well—putting Cape wines in the same conversation as leading regions in Europe, the Americas and Australia.
Recent South African standouts:
Tokara Reserve Collection Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 – Best in Show (2024)
Delaire Graff Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2022 – Best in Show (2024)
International Wine Challenge (IWC)
The International Wine Challenge, held annually in London for more than four decades, is another major benchmark. Wines are tasted blind in several rounds and medals are awarded purely on quality: Bronze, Silver, Gold and then a series of Trophies for the best examples in each category. South African entries have performed strongly here too, particularly in varieties such as Chardonnay and categories like national/regional trophies.
Recent South African standouts:
Lothian of Elgin Chardonnay 2022 – South Africa Chardonnay Trophy (IWC 2025)
Whalehaven Seascape Chardonnay 2023 – South Africa White Trophy (IWC 2025)
International Wine & Spirit Competition (IWSC)
Founded in 1969, the IWSC is one of the most established global competitions. Thousands of entries are blind-tasted by international panels, with Bronze, Silver and Gold medals awarded, plus trophies. For South African producers, IWSC recognition brings added validation in key markets like the UK, Europe and Asia.
Recent South African standouts (Golds, 2024):
Kershaw Clonal Selection Chardonnay 2020 (Elgin)
De Morgenzon Reserve Syrah 2021 (Stellenbosch)
Villiera Monro Brut 2017 (MCC)
Vilafonté Series C 2019 and Series M 2022
Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2020
Concours Mondial de Bruxelles (CMB)
The Concours Mondial de Bruxelles judges close to 10,000 wines each year and is known for rigorous blind-tasting standards. South Africa regularly appears in the medal tables, reinforcing the Cape’s reliability across red and white styles.
Recent South African standouts (CMB South Africa Selection 2024):
Groenland “Steenkamp Ou Bosstok Steen” 2024 – top honours in the SA Selection
Quoin Rock Shiraz 2019 and Beyerskloof Pinotage Reserve 2023
South African Benchmarks: Platter’s, Tim Atkin MW and Veritas
Alongside international competitions, a few South African reference points play an especially important role in shaping opinion inside and outside the country.
Platter’s South African Wine Guide
Platter’s is the national guide that rates thousands of wines annually on a star system (with 5 Stars at the top). The 2025 edition named Sadie Family Wines the Top Performing Winery of the Year with six 5-Star ratings—underlining sustained excellence. Mullineux remains one of the guide’s most decorated producers, with five Winery of the Year titles across past editions and 50+ five-star ratings.
Tim Atkin MW’s South Africa Special Report
Every year, British Master of Wine Tim Atkin publishes a deep dive on the Cape, with scores, “Wines of the Year,” discoveries and a classification of leading estates. In his 2025 report, Alheit Vineyards Magnetic North 2024 received 100 points (White Wine of the Year), and Porseleinberg Syrah 2023 also achieved a perfect 100, evidence that South Africa now hits the absolute top tier.
Notable award recent award winners
Delaire Graff 'Botmaskop' Red Blend, 2020 - 94 points
Klein Constantian Sauvignon Blanc, 2023 - 93 points
Haute Cabriere 'Haute Collection' Pinot Noir, 2022 - 93 points
Veritas Awards
The Veritas Awards (since 1991) remain a rigorous local benchmark. Groot Constantia is among the estates to collect multiple Double Golds in recent years, a useful shorthand for quality on shelf.
How South African Wineries Perform on the World Stage
Many leading Cape estates now feature regularly at the top of international results lists and critic reports. This is where international medals and local ratings start to overlap.
Platinum Medals and High Scores at Decanter
At DWWA 2021, South Africa doubled its Platinum count with several 97-point wines—including classics like Kanonkop Estate Cabernet Sauvignon 2018, Rustenberg Peter Barlow 2017 and Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak Pinot Noir 2019, illustrating how traditional estates now shine in large mixed tastings.
Other well-known wineries, Boekenhoutskloof, Delaire Graff, Thelema, Waterford Estate, Raats, Warwick, Simonsig, Steenberg and Klein Constantia, also appear frequently with 93+ scores across Decanter, Atkin and international publications.
Recent South African winner include:
Thelema Cabernet Sauvignon, 2021 - 95 points
Delaire Graff 'Rose' Cabernet Franc, 2024 - 92 points
Tokara 'Reserve' Cabernet Sauvignon, 2022 - 97 points
Perfect Scores and Wines of the Year
Within Tim Atkin’s SA reports, producers such as Alheit Vineyards and Sadie Family Wines consistently reach the highest levels (including 100-point and Hall of Fame entries), while Raats features prominently for Cabernet Franc, evidence of depth beyond one-off wins.
How to Read Awards for South African Wines
With so many scores, stars and medals, it helps to separate competition results, guide scores and long-term track record.
Competition medals (Gold / Double Gold / Platinum / Best in Show) from DWWA, IWC, IWSC, CMB or Veritas indicate the wine excelled in blind tastings against its peers. In the South African context, names like Kanonkop, Mullineux, Sadie Family, Alheit, Boekenhoutskloof, Delaire Graff, Tokara, Raats and Waterford Estate are dependable markers when attached to top medals.
Guide and critic scores, Platter’s 5 Stars and Tim Atkin 95+, flag wines at the peak of their category, while rare 100-point scores (e.g., Magnetic North 2024) signal exceptional consensus.
Track record vs one-off wins: Repeat high performance (e.g., Mullineux’s five Platter’s “Winery of the Year” titles; Sadie Family as Platter’s top performer) gives buyers confidence over time.
Using Awards to Explore South African Wine
Begin with consistently decorated estates. If you’re new to Cape wines, start with names that reappear across awards and critics: Mullineux, Sadie Family Wines, Alheit, Kanonkop, Rustenberg, Bouchard Finlayson, Delaire Graff, Tokara, Raats, Waterford Estate, Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Simonsig, Steenberg, Warwick.
Match style to region.
- Stellenbosch – Cabernet-based reds and Bordeaux blends
- Swartland – Syrah and Mediterranean-inspired blends with depth and spice
- Hemel-en-Aarde / cool coastal – Pinot Noir and Chardonnay with finesse and freshness
Then hunt for medal-winners or high scorers in your preferred styles.
Look for both local and international validation. A wine that combines Platter’s 5 Stars, a strong Tim Atkin score and a DWWA Gold/Platinum sits at the intersection of local expertise and international blind tasting, a reliable place to start exploring a producer’s range.
Award-winning South African wines now appear on shortlists, trophy lists and perfect score lists around the world. From classic red blends in Stellenbosch to cutting edge white blends in Swartland and precise coastal Pinot Noir, the Cape is firmly established on the global fine wine map.
For anyone curious about South Africa, following the trail of medals and high scores is a simple way to discover producers who are shaping the country’s reputation and to find bottles that deliver both pleasure and real value.
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Glossary of Terms and Abbreviations
ABV – Alcohol by volume. The percentage of alcohol in a wine.
Blend – A wine made from more than one grape variety.
Blind tasting – Judges taste wines without seeing the label to avoid bias.
Best in Show – The highest DWWA tier awarded to a very small number of top wines.
Cap Classique – South Africa’s traditional-method sparkling wine. Formerly called MCC.
Cape Blend – A red blend that typically includes Pinotage alongside Bordeaux or Rhône varieties.
CMB – Concours Mondial de Bruxelles. Large international wine competition.
Decant – Pouring wine into a decanter to aerate or separate sediment.
DWWA – Decanter World Wine Awards. The world’s largest wine competition.
Double Gold – A high medal tier in Veritas and some competitions, broadly equal to 90+ points.
Estate – Wine produced and bottled by the winery from its own grapes.
Fynbos – Indigenous Cape shrubland. Often used to describe herbal notes in SA wines.
First Growth – In Tim Atkin MW’s SA classification, a top tier of South African estates.
Gold, Silver, Bronze – Standard medal tiers in competitions like IWC, IWSC and Veritas.
Guide score – Ratings from annual guides or critics, often out of 100 or 5 stars.
IWSC – International Wine & Spirit Competition. Longstanding global competition.
IWC – International Wine Challenge. London-based competition with multi-round blind judging.
Magnum – A 1.5L bottle. Ages more slowly due to size.
Minerality – Perceived stony, saline or flinty character in aroma and taste.
Old Vine Project (OVP) – South African certification highlighting wines from vineyards 35 years or older.
Platinum – A top medal tier at DWWA, above Gold and below Best in Show.
Platter’s – Platter’s South African Wine Guide, using a 0 to 5 star system.
pH – A measure of acidity. Lower pH often reads fresher and more vibrant.
Residual sugar (RS) – Natural grape sugar left after fermentation.
Single-vineyard – Wine made from grapes grown in one defined vineyard site.
TA – Titratable acidity. A lab measure of a wine’s total acids.
Terroir – The combination of climate, soil, aspect and local factors that shape a wine’s character.
Tim Atkin MW – British Master of Wine who publishes an annual South Africa Special Report.
Trophy – A top category award given to the best wine within a style or class at competitions like IWC.
Veritas – South Africa’s long-running national wine competition.
Vintage – The year the grapes were harvested. Styles can vary by vintage.
WO (Wine of Origin) – South African appellation system that certifies geographic origin.