SA winemakers can still enter Diners Club awards

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The 46th Winemaker of the Year award will focus on White Blends, while Red Wine has been selected as the category for the 26th Young Winemaker of the Year award. Winemakers can submit more than one entry, and the competitions are open to all South African wine industry participants at no cost.

Recognising winemaking excellence

The awards recognise winemakers behind wines judged to be the best in the respective categories, placing the focus on the skills and expertise involved in creating the winning wines.

Diners Club introduced the Winemaker of the Year award to encourage local winemakers to raise the standard of wines produced in South Africa. The Young Winemaker of the Year award was established to support winemakers under 30 in developing their skills, expressing their individuality and contributing to the future of South African wine internationally.

Winners to be announced in November

Finalists for both awards will be announced in due course and invited to a black-tie gala dinner on Saturday, 21 November 2026, where the winners will be announced and presented with their trophies.

The Winemaker of the Year will receive a cash prize of R75,000, while the Young Winemaker of the Year will receive R45,000. Both winners will also receive a return air ticket to visit any wine-producing region in the world, subject to the presenting sponsor’s terms and conditions.

Additional information and entries are available here.