Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year Awards finalists announced

Image source: Gallo/Getty

Diners Club introduced the Winemaker of the Year award to encourage local winemakers to raise the standard of wines produced in South Africa, and the Young Winemaker of the Year award was established to encourage winemakers under the age of 30 to develop their skills, express their individuality, and add to the future prestige of South African wines internationally.

The Winemaker and Young Winemaker awards focus on quality and the recognition of excellence and are among the country’s most prestigious and most respected wine industry competitions. While most wine industry awards focus on the winning wines, the Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year awards celebrate the creators of the winning wines, honouring the skills and talents of the vintners.

The awards are presented to winemakers who produce a wine that the judging panel considers to be the best in the two specified categories for the annual competition. This year, the category for the 43rd Winemaker of the Year award is Syrah/Shiraz, with White Wine the category for the 23rd Young Winemaker of the Year award. As in previous years, winemakers can be shortlisted for more than one submission. These awards are open to all in the South African wine industry at no cost, thus affording all winemakers an equal opportunity.

There were over 180 entries this year and the field was narrowed down to twelve finalists through rigorous judging over two days by a team of wine experts. All the judges agree that it will be a close race for the top prize, a clear indication that the finalist wines are outstanding.

The 2023 Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year finalists includes:

Source: Supplied - Back row - From left to right: Josef Dreyer (Raka), Charles Hopkins (De Grendel), Tertius Boshoff (Stellenrust ArtiSons),

Front row - From left to right: RJ Botha (Kleine Zalze), Annamarie Fourie (Holden Manz), Dewaldt Heyns (Dewald Heyns Family Wines)

Winemaker of the Year category: Syrah/Shiraz

• Annamarie Fourie – 2018 Holden Manz Syrah Reserve
• Charles Hopkins – 2020 De Grendel Shiraz
• Dewaldt Heyns – 2021 Dewaldt Heyns Weathered Hands Shiraz
• Josef Dreyer – 2020 Raka Biography Shiraz
• RJ Botha – 2020 Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Syrah
• Tertius Boshoff – 2020 Stellenrust ArtiSons Blueberry Hill Shiraz

Source: Supplied - Back - From left to right: Morgan Steyn (De Grendel), Marnich Aucamp (Stellenbosch Vineyards), Richard Schroeder (Groot Phesantekraal), Pieter Coetzee (Quoin Rock)

Front - Seated in the middle from left to right: Michelle Waldeck (Benguela Cove), Nongcebo Langa (Delheim)

Young Winemaker of the Year category: White Wines

• Marnich Aucamp – 2021 Stellenbosch Vineyards Credo Chardonnay
• Michelle Waldeck – 2019 Benguela Cove Catalina Semillon
• Morgan Steyn – 2022 De Grendel Op die Berg Chardonnay
• Nongcebo Langa – 2022 Delheim Gewürztraminer
• Pieter Coetzee – 2021 Quoin Rock Chardonnay
• Richard Schroeder – 2022 Groot Phesantekraal Marizanne Sauvignon Blanc

The 2023 Diners Club Winemaker of the Year judges comprise Carrie Adams – Head Judge; Winnie Bowman; Yegas Naidoo, Shane Mumba and Denzel Swarts.

The finalists for both awards are invited to a black-tie gala dinner at the Five Star Arabella Hotel & Spa on 18 November 2023, where the winners will be revealed and presented with their trophies. The winning winemaker receives R50,000 and the young winemaker R25,000. In addition, both winners receive a round-trip air ticket to a wine-producing region – terms and conditions of the presenting sponsor apply.