Press release
The 20th edition of South Africa’s only competition dedicated exclusively to Sauvignon Blanc, the FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10, has announced its 20 finalists from 159 entries submitted by 95 producers.
The finalists span three vintages – 11 from 2025, seven from 2026 and two from 2024 – and demonstrate the depth and breadth of South African Sauvignon Blanc. Significantly, half of the finalists are wooded, ranging from wines with a meaningful barrel component to predominantly tank-fermented wines incorporating smaller portions of older oak.
Judged by an expert panel convened by oenologist Dr Carien Coetzee, the finalists show just how versatile South African Sauvignon Blanc has become. “The panel was particularly impressed by the balance, concentration and varietal expression across the leading wines, as well as the increasingly restrained and considered use of oak,” says Coetzee. “The strongest wooded wines used oak to build structure and dimension without masking the character of the cultivar.”
The panel also noted the ageing potential evident in several of the top wines, while the range of vintages and regions represented shows how Sauvignon Blanc can translate different climates, sites and winemaking approaches into distinctive styles.
The 20 finalists, in alphabetical order:
- Carmen Stevens Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape Town
- De Grendel Koetshuis Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape West Coast
- Diemersdal The Journal Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Durbanville
- Escape Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (wooded) – Walker Bay
- Fryer’s Cove Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Cape Coastal Region
- Goedverwacht Great Expectations Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Robertson Valley
- Groote Post Seasalter Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (wooded) – Darling
- Groot Phesantekraal Marizanne 2024 (wooded) – Cape Town
- Groot Phesantekraal Marizanne 2025 (wooded) – Cape Town
- Iona Elgin Highlands Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Elgin
- Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Cape Coastal Region
- La Motte Pierneef Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape South Coast
- Le Grand Domaine Grand Vin de Stellenbosch Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (unwooded) – Stellenbosch
- Lomond Seven Rows Ben Nevis Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Cape Agulhas
- Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Breedekloof
- Quoin Rock Nicobar Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (wooded) – Western Cape
- Rietvallei Sauvignon Blanc 2026 (unwooded) – Robertson Valley
- Steenberg Black Swan 2025 (unwooded) – Constantia
- Tokara Reserve Collection Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (unwooded) – Elgin
- Wildeberg Terroirs Sauvignon Blanc 2025 (unwooded) – Stellenbosch
Above: The 20 finalists in the 2026 FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 competition. (Photo: Bruce Tuck Photography)
The judging panel comprised Dr Winifred Bowman, Cape Wine Master and international judge; Anton Swarts, Cape Wine Master, procurement manager and senior winemaker at Spier Wine Estate; Morgan Steyn, winemaker at De Grendel Wine Estate and Sauvignon Blanc SA committee member; Johann Fourie, cellarmaster at Benguela Cove Lagoon Wine Estate; and Cape Winemakers Guild protégés Reneilwe Senosha and Marché Hendricks as guest judges.
For a second year, Sauvignon Blanc SA partnered with French company Winespace, supported by bronze partner Tonnellerie Sylvain, to use the TASTEE judging platform. The system enables real-time scoring and data tracking, while sensory profiles generated from judges’ tasting notes provide confidential, data-driven insights to participating winemakers.
The Sauvignon Blanc Aroma Wheel, developed in 2025 by Stellenbosch University’s South African Grape and Wine Research Institute (SAGWRI) and Sauvignon Blanc SA in collaboration with South Africa Wine and local and international industry experts, was again used during the tasting.
Top 10 to be announced in October
The FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 will be announced on Wednesday 14 October 2026 at the FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 awards event. The results will also be published on sauvignonblanc.com and Sauvignon Blanc SA’s social media platforms.
Elunda Basson, Chairperson of Sauvignon Blanc South Africa, says the 20th anniversary is an important milestone for both the competition and the category.
“Twenty years of the Top 10 gives us a valuable record of how South African Sauvignon Blanc has evolved. We are proud to celebrate the producers who continue to push the category forward, and grateful to our long-standing Title Partner FNB, Platinum Partner Ever Solutions SA and all our partners for their continued support.”
The Story of Sauvignon Blanc at Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees
On Thursday 8 October at 18:00, The Story of Sauvignon Blanc forms part of the lifestyle programme of the Toyota Stellenbosch Woordfees. Led by RJ Botha, Cellarmaster at Kleine Zalze Wines, the event explores the stories behind the cultivar and includes a tasting of Sauvignon Blancs ranging from fresh coastal expressions to more complex wines with ageing potential. Tickets include a copy of The Story of South African Sauvignon Blanc, a coffee-table book featuring 100 stories. Tickets can be booked through Quicket.
The Sauvignon Blanc SA Seminar and AGM follows on Wednesday 11 November, offering producers cultivar-specific insights, two technical tastings and an opportunity to engage with developments in the category.
For more information, visit sauvignonblanc.com or contact [email protected] or 083 256 9814.
