14/09/2026
Exciting news 🎉 Our soon-to-be-released Seasalter 2026 has been announced as one of just 20 finalists in the 2026 FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 Competition, selected from 159 entries by 95 producers.
A fantastic start for the new vintage before it has even been released!
CONGRATS 🥂 20 FINALISTS, 3 VINTAGES & 50/50 UN/WOODED
From 159 entries by 95 producers, the Top 20 contenders in the 20th FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 competition span three vintages – 11 from 2025, seven from 2026 and two from 2024 – and demonstrate the depth and breadth of South African Sauvignon Blanc.
Congratulations to our 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
Judged by an expert panel convened by oenologist Dr Carien Coetzee, the finalists show just how versatile South African Sauvignon Blanc has become. Significantly, half of the finalists are wooded, ranging from w**es with a meaningful barrel component to predominantly tank-fermented w**es incorporating smaller portions of older oak. The judging panel comprised Dr Winifred Bowman, Cape W**e Master and international judge; Anton Swarts, Cape W**e Master, procurement manager and senior w**emaker at Spier W**e Estate; Morgan Steyn, w**emaker at De Grendel W**e Estate and Sauvignon Blanc SA committee member; Johann Fourie, cellarmaster at Benguela Cove Lagoon W**e Estate; and Cape W**emakers Guild protégés Reneilwe Senosha and Marché Hendricks as guest judges.
“Twenty years of the Top 10 gives us a valuable record of how South African Sauvignon Blanc has evolved," says Chairperson Elunda Basson. “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, including Vinventions, Hillebrand Gori - a company of DHL, Tonnellerie Sylvaine, Beveratech and MCC Premium Label Solutions, for their continued support.”
TAKE NOTE: Top 10 winners revealed Wednesday 14 Oct 2026 at the FNB Top 10 Awards. 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.
READ MORE https://sauvignonblanc.com/2026-fnb-top-10-20th-year-20-finalists/
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