On September 1, 2026, Tim Atkin MW presented his fourteenth South Africa Special Report. The awards were presented on the same day at the Norval Foundation in Cape Town, and this edition is the most comprehensive he has written about the Cape to date. It contains 1,831 wines from over 350 wineries, along with a 23,000-word introduction covering the country's history, politics, economy, terroirs, and styles. The hardcover work runs to 328 pages.
For us, this is the most important date on the calendar each year. No other critic tastes South Africa with this level of depth, and hardly any other rating has such an immediate impact on which names will be in demand in Europe six months later.
A perfect score
The distribution of points shows just how tight it has become at the top. A single wine reached 100 points, one hit 99, seventeen achieved 98, and thirty-three earned 97. A total of 248 wines scored 95 points or above, which, in the language of competitions, is equivalent to a gold medal.
The perfect wine comes from the Swartland. The Sadie Family Columella 2024 is a blend of nine varieties, led by Syrah and supplemented by Grenache, Cinsault, and, for the first time, a small portion of Pinotage. The grapes are sourced from a dozen sites, with a focus on the Paardeberg. Atkin calls it the best Columella since the 2019 vintage, which also received 100 points, and ranks it among the greatest wines South Africa has ever produced.
Just behind it is a white wine. The Alheit Vineyards Huilkrans Chenin Blanc 2025 achieved 99 points. It grows on the Oudam farm in the Citrusdal Mountain at an altitude of 450 meters, from vines planted between 1974 and 1989. Chris Alheit vinifies several top-tier Chenins side-by-side, and in this vintage, the Huilkrans stood out among them.
Three names currently on our shelves
More interesting than the pure list of points are the individual awards, and this year, three of them went to producers we represent.
Hannes Storm is Winemaker of the Year 2026. He founded Storm Wines in 2012 after working for eight years at Hamilton Russell Vineyards, the pioneering winery of the Hemel-en-Aarde. Today, Storm farms 9.5 hectares and is the only South African vintner who vinifies his own Pinot Noir from all three appellations of the valley, in addition to two Chardonnays. That sounds like a lot of hard work, but it is a statement: he set out to decipher a small valley so precisely that, in the end, it becomes visible how much difference can exist within just a few kilometers. The soils provide him with the evidence: Bokkeveld shale with clay in the Valley and Ridge, and weathered granite in the upper part. We carry the Storm Ridge Pinot Noir, whose 2022 vintage earned 96 points.
The second title is brand new. This year, for the first time, Atkin has named a Winery of the Year, and the choice fell on Lismore Estate Vineyards by Samantha O'Keefe in Greyton. When she planted vines there in the early 2000s, the area was not a wine region, but a remote, cool spot in the Overberg from which no one expected anything. In 2019, a fire destroyed the cellar, the residence, and large parts of the facilities. O'Keefe faced the question of whether she should continue at all, and she rebuilt. Today, her Chardonnays, Viogniers, and Syrahs are considered a reference for a region that would not exist as such without her. The Lismore Estate Reserve Viognier from 2018 earns 95 points.
Additionally, Jolandie Fouché, Young Winemaker of the Year 2026, is the talent behind Wolf and Woman Wines and has been working since 2018 on a lighter, more floral interpretation of Pinotage. Her Wolf and Woman Chenin Blanc from 2023 is on our shelves with 96 points.
Also great value for money
Atkin doesn't just honor expensive bottles. Two of his most closely watched categories are Best Value White and Best Value Red, and both went to Stellenbosch this year. The Kaapzicht Granite Ridge OVP Chenin Blanc 2025 took the white wine title with 91 points—a Chenin with light oak influence and just under five grams of residual sugar. For the red wine, the DeMorgenzon DMZ Syrah 2024 came out on top with 93 points, which Atkin describes as the South African counterpart to a good Crozes-Hermitage.
Added to this were the usual honors for lifetime achievements and quiet work in the background. Pieter Ferreira was honored as a Winemaking Legend, following 37 years at the helm of Graham Beck and his retirement in January 2026. He played a decisive role in ensuring that Cap Classique is perceived internationally today as a serious sparkling wine category.
Our wineries in the 2026 report
Listed here are all wines with 95 points or more that originate from wineries we represent. 138 entries, ordered by score. Notable is the density from the Swartland and the Hemel-en-Aarde, and how strongly Chenin Blanc and Syrah define the field.
| Wine | Origin | Points |
|---|---|---|
| Sadie Family Columella 2024 | Swartland | 100 |
| Alheit Vineyards Huilkrans 2025 | Citrusdal Mountain | 99 |
| Alheit Vineyards Magnetic North 2025 | Citrusdal Mountain | 98 |
| Boekenhoutskloof Semillon 2024 | Franschhoek | 98 |
| Boschkloof Epilogue Syrah 2024 | Stellenbosch | 98 |
| Porseleinberg Syrah 2024 | Swartland | 98 |
| Rall Ava Syrah 2025 | Swartland | 98 |
| Sadie Family 'T Voetpad 2025 | Swartland | 98 |
| Sadie Family Mev Kirsten 2025 | Stellenbosch | 98 |
| Sadie Family Palladius 2024 | Swartland | 98 |
| Sadie Family Rotsbank 2025 | Swartland | 98 |
| Sadie Family Skerpioen 2025 | Swartland | 98 |
| Sadie Family Skurfberg 2025 | Citrusdal Mountain | 98 |
| Scions of Sinai Granietsteen Chenin Blanc 2025 | Stellenbosch | 98 |
| Storm Wines CWG Bokkeveld Shale Chardonnay 2024 | Hemel-en-Aarde Valley | 98 |
| Van Loggerenberg Graft Syrah 2025 | Stellenbosch | 98 |
| Alheit Vineyards Fire by Night 2025 | Swartland | 97 |
| Alheit Vineyards Monument Semillon 2025 | Franschhoek | 97 |
| Alheit Vineyards Nautical Dawn 2025 | Stellenbosch | 97 |
| Boekenhoutskloof Noble Late Harvest 2023 | Franschhoek | 97 |
| Damascene Syrah 2024 | Stellenbosch | 97 |
| Damascene Syrah 2024 | Swartland | 97 |
| Damascene Syrah 2024 | Ceres Plateau | 97 |
| David and Nadia Hoë-Steen OVP Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 97 |
| David and Nadia Plat'bos OVP Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 97 |
| David and Nadia Skaliekop OVP Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 97 |
| De Toren Book XVII 2023 | Stellenbosch | 97 |
| Graham Beck Cuvée Clive CC 2019 | Western Cape | 97 |
| Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage 2024 | Stellenbosch | 97 |
| Kershaw Chardonnay Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shale CY96 2024 | Elgin | 97 |
| Klein Constantia Vin de Constance 2023 | Constantia | 97 |
| Rall CWG Noa Syrah 2024 | Swartland | 97 |
| Rall Noa OVP Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 97 |
| Restless River Ava Marie Chardonnay 2024 | Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley | 97 |
| Savage Thief in the Night 2025 | Piekenierskloof | 97 |
| Stellenrust ArtiSons Series Rare The Mothership Chenin Blanc 2025 | Stellenbosch | 97 |
| Storm Wines CWG Bokkeveld Shale Pinot Noir 2024 | Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge | 97 |
| Storm Wines Ignis Pinot Noir 2025 | Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley | 97 |
| Thelema Rabelais 2022 | Stellenbosch | 97 |
| Tokara Telos 2020 | Stellenbosch | 97 |
| Alheit Vineyards Cartology 2025 | Western Cape | 96 |
| Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 | Franschhoek | 96 |
| Boekenhoutskloof Syrah 2024 | Swartland | 96 |
| Carinus Rooidraai Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 96 |
| Crystallum Clay Shales Chardonnay 2025 | Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge | 96 |
| Crystallum Cuvée Cinéma Pinot Noir 2025 | Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge | 96 |
| Crystallum Mabalel Pinot Noir 2025 | Elandskloof | 96 |
| Glenelly Lady May 2022 | Stellenbosch | 96 |
| Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs CC Magnum 2020 | Robertson | 96 |
| Haute Cabrière Haute Collection OVP Chardonnay 2025 | Franschhoek | 96 |
| Ken Forrester Dirty Little Secret Chenin Blanc Six NV | Piekenierskloof | 96 |
| Kershaw CWG Ziggurat Chardonnay 2025 | Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge | 96 |
| Le Riche Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon 2023 | Stellenbosch | 96 |
| Lismore Estate CWG Child of Venus Viognier 2025 | Greyton | 96 |
| Lismore Estate Chardonnay Reserve 2025 | Greyton | 96 |
| Lismore Estate Cuvée Blanc Reserve 2025 | Greyton | 96 |
| Lismore Estate Viognier Reserve 2025 | Greyton | 96 |
| Lismore Syrah Reserve 2024 | Greyton | 96 |
| Lourens Family Wines OVP Mathias Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 96 |
| Natte Valleij OVP Cinsault 2025 | Darling | 96 |
| Reyneke Sauvignon Blanc 2025 | Polkadraai Hills | 96 |
| Reyneke Syrah 2024 | Polkadraai Hills | 96 |
| Sadie Family Sonvang 2025 | Swartland | 96 |
| Sadie Family Twiswind 2025 | Swartland | 96 |
| Saga Vineyards Sons of Sugarland 2025 | Stellenbosch | 96 |
| Savage Girl Next Door 2025 | Cape Town | 96 |
| Savage White 2025 | Western Cape | 96 |
| Silverthorn Jewel Box CC 2021 | Robertson | 96 |
| Stellenrust ArtiSons Series Rare Blueberry Hill Shiraz 2024 | Stellenbosch | 96 |
| Storm Wines Ridge Pinot Noir 2025 | Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge | 96 |
| Storm Wines Vrede Pinot Noir 2025 | Hemel-en-Aarde Valley | 96 |
| Taaibosch Crescendo 2022 | Stellenbosch | 96 |
| Van Loggerenberg Breton Cabernet Franc 2025 | Stellenbosch | 96 |
| Van Loggerenberg CWG Auction Chenin Blanc 2025 | Piekenierskloof | 96 |
| Van Loggerenberg Lötter OVP Cinsault 2025 | Franschhoek | 96 |
| Vilafonté Series C 2023 | Paarl | 96 |
| Vilafonté Series M 2023 | Paarl | 96 |
| Wolf and Woman Wines Glen Frank Syrah 2025 | Darling | 96 |
| Wolf and Woman Wines OVP Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 96 |
| Boekenhoutskloof Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| Boschkloof Syrah 2025 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| Creation Emma's Pinot Noir 2025 | Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge | 95 |
| Creation Glenn's Chardonnay 2025 | Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge | 95 |
| Crystallum Litigo Pinot Noir 2025 | Shaw's Mountain | 95 |
| Damascene Chenin Blanc 2024 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| David and Nadia Aristargos 2025 | Swartland | 95 |
| David and Nadia Langland OVP Chenin Blanc 2025 | Swartland | 95 |
| De Toren Fusion V 2023 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| De Trafford Belfield 2023 | Elgin | 95 |
| De Trafford Straw Wine 2022 | Cape Coastal | 95 |
| DeMorgenzon Chenin Blanc Reserve 2024 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| DeMorgenzon Maestro White 2024 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| Ernie Els Major Series Cabernet Sauvignon 2024 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| Ernie Els Proprietor's Syrah 2023 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| Graham Beck Artisan Collection Blanc de Meunier Magnum CC 2022 | Western Cape | 95 |
| Hogan Wines Mirror for the Sun Cabernet Franc 2025 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| Kershaw CWG Vertiginous Pinot Noir 2024 | Elgin | 95 |
| Kershaw Chardonnay Deconstructed Lake District Bokkeveld Shale CY95 2024 | Elgin | 95 |
| Kershaw GPS Chardonnay Lower Duivenhoks River 2024 | Lower Duivenhoks River | 95 |
| Kershaw Pinot Noir Deconstructed Kogelberg Sandstone PN115 2024 | Elgin | 95 |
| Kershaw Pinot Noir Deconstructed Kogelberg Sandstone PN777 2024 | Elgin | 95 |
| Krone Kaaimansgat Blanc de Blancs CC 2022 | Elandskloof | 95 |
| Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2023 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
| Lismore Barrel-Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2024 | Cape South Coast | 95 |
| Lourens Family Wines Lua Single Vineyard Grenache 2025 | Piekenierskloof | 95 |
| Natte Valleij OVP Cinsault 2025 | Stellenbosch | 95 |
Much of this is coming to us
A report always evaluates the current vintages, and in September, most of these are still in South Africa. A large portion of the wines from the list above have already been secured by us en primeur, long before they hit our shelves. In the coming weeks, we will show you exactly which ones these are and when you can order them in a separate newsletter.
