The best wines of South Africa

Discover the best wines of South Africa as well as the best winemakers of South Africa and estates of South Africa to visit. Explore the popular grape varieties of South Africa and the best vintages to taste in this region.

Top wines of South Africa by region

Looking for a good wine of South Africa among the top wines in the region? Check out our tops of the best red, white or effervescent wines of South Africa. Also find some food and wine pairings that may be appropriate with these exceptional wines. Learn more about the region and the wines of South Africa with technical and enological descriptions.

Great red wines of South Africa

See the top 100 best red wines of South Africa

Want to buy a red wine of South Africa cheap or sell a red wine of South Africa at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a red wine of South Africa

Red wines from the region of South Africa go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, lamb or pork such as recipes of monkfish (anglerfish) à la sétoise, marinated lamb chops or capellini with prosciutto.

Organoleptic analysis of red wine of South Africa

On the nose the red wine of the region of South Africa. often reveals types of flavors of cream, cherry or oaky and sometimes also flavors of smoke, earthy or blackberry. In the mouth the red wine of the region of South Africa. is a powerful with a nice balance between acidity and tannins.

The best vintages in red wine of South Africa

  • 2017With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2018With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2006With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2014With an average score of 4.59/5
  • 2008With an average score of 4.59/5
  • 2016With an average score of 4.58/5

The most used grape varieties in red wine of South Africa

  • Cabernet Sauvignon
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Cabernet Franc
  • Merlot
  • Pinotage
  • Malbec

The best wineries and winemakers for red wine of South Africa

A wine route planned in the region of South Africa? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best red wine of South Africa.

Discovering the wine region of South Africa

South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With over 300 years of wine making history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more stylistic similarities with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has received international attention and recognition for its wide variety of styles.

The South African wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Wineries can also be found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a MediterraneanClimate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.

The country's signature Grape is Pinotage">Pinotage, an indigenous cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in quantity in any other wine producing country. Shiraz is also widespread, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often combined in a Bordeaux blend). However, white grape varieties account for 55% of the country's 96,000 hectares of vineyards. Chenin Blanc is the most planted grape variety in the republic with 18.

Great white wines of South Africa

See the top 100 best white wines of South Africa

Want to buy a white wine of South Africa cheap or sell a white wine of South Africa at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a white wine of South Africa

White wines from the region of South Africa go well with generally quite well with dishes of shellfish, lean fish or fruity desserts such as recipes of armorican-style squid, fish lasagne or the coughing cat's apple crumble.

Organoleptic analysis of white wine of South Africa

On the nose the white wine of the region of South Africa. often reveals types of flavors of pineapple, cream or oaky and sometimes also flavors of tropical, citrus or beeswax. In the mouth the white wine of the region of South Africa. is a powerful with a nice freshness.

The best vintages in white wine of South Africa

  • 1947With an average score of 4.70/5
  • 2010With an average score of 4.53/5
  • 2009With an average score of 4.53/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.50/5
  • 2012With an average score of 4.45/5
  • 2011With an average score of 4.45/5

The most used grape varieties in white wine of South Africa

  • Chenin Blanc
  • Chardonnay
  • Sémillon
  • Palomino
  • Viognier
  • Grenache Blanc

The best wineries and winemakers for white wine of South Africa

A wine route planned in the region of South Africa? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best white wine of South Africa.

Discover the grape variety: Cabernet franc

Cabernet Franc is one of the oldest red grape varieties in Bordeaux. The Libourne region is its terroir where it develops best. The terroirs of Saint-Emilion and Fronsac allow it to mature and develop its best range of aromas. It is also the majority in many blends. The very famous Château Cheval Blanc, for example, uses 60% Cabernet Franc. The wines produced with Cabernet Franc are medium in colour with fine tannins and subtle aromas of small red fruits and spices. When blended with Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, it brings complexity and a bouquet of aromas to the wine. It produces fruity wines that can be drunk quite quickly, but whose great vintages can be kept for a long time. It is an earlier grape variety than Cabernet Sauvignon, which means that it is planted as far north as the Loire Valley. In Anjou, it is also used to make sweet rosé wines. Cabernet Franc is now used in some twenty countries in Europe and throughout the world.

Great sparkling wines of South Africa

See the top 100 best sparkling wines of South Africa

Want to buy a sparkling wine of South Africa cheap or sell a sparkling wine of South Africa at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sparkling wine of South Africa

Sparkling wines from the region of South Africa go well with generally quite well with dishes of veal, pork or game (deer, venison) such as recipes of roast veal with caramelized carrots, stuffed potatoes or duck with vanilla (reunion island).

Organoleptic analysis of sparkling wine of South Africa

On the nose the sparkling wine of the region of South Africa. often reveals types of flavors of non oak, earth or microbio and sometimes also flavors of vegetal, oak or tree fruit.

The best vintages in sparkling wine of South Africa

  • 2020With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2009With an average score of 4.27/5
  • 2010With an average score of 4.23/5
  • 2006With an average score of 4.20/5
  • 2007With an average score of 4.18/5
  • 2011With an average score of 4.15/5

The most used grape varieties in sparkling wine of South Africa

  • Chardonnay
  • Pinot Noir
  • Pinot Meunier
  • Chenin Blanc
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Pinotage

The best wineries and winemakers for sparkling wine of South Africa

A wine route planned in the region of South Africa? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sparkling wine of South Africa.

The word of the wine: Wine library

Cellar in which are kept bottles that retrace the history of a domain, a vintage, an exceptional wine, etc., and which constitute a collection. It is also said of a place that offers a very wide choice of wines served by the glass. The oenotheques are more and more widespread in the living rooms opened to the public.

Great pink wines of South Africa

See the top 100 best pink wines of South Africa

Want to buy a pink wine of South Africa cheap or sell a pink wine of South Africa at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a pink wine of South Africa

Pink wines from the region of South Africa go well with generally quite well with dishes of game (deer, venison), poultry or veal such as recipes of rabbit with mustard in a casserole, chicken liver cake or veal axoa (basque country).

Organoleptic analysis of pink wine of South Africa

On the nose the pink wine of the region of South Africa. often reveals types of flavors of peach, strawberries or melon and sometimes also flavors of tree fruit, citrus fruit or red fruit.

The best vintages in pink wine of South Africa

  • 2009With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2010With an average score of 4.05/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.02/5
  • 2011With an average score of 3.98/5
  • 2017With an average score of 3.94/5
  • 2020With an average score of 3.94/5

The most used grape varieties in pink wine of South Africa

  • Pinotage
  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Cinsault
  • Grenache
  • Mourvedre
  • Merlot

The best wineries and winemakers for pink wine of South Africa

A wine route planned in the region of South Africa? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best pink wine of South Africa.

Discover the grape variety: Souzao

Great sweet wines of South Africa

See the top 100 best sweet wines of South Africa

Want to buy a sweet wine of South Africa cheap or sell a sweet wine of South Africa at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a sweet wine of South Africa

Sweet wines from the region of South Africa go well with generally quite well with dishes of sweet desserts, fruity desserts or shellfish such as recipes of pancakes, apple cake or thai shrimp soup (tom yam goong).

Organoleptic analysis of sweet wine of South Africa

On the nose the sweet wine of the region of South Africa. often reveals types of flavors of butterscotch, pineapple or cream and sometimes also flavors of cherry, grapefruit or oaky. In the mouth the sweet wine of the region of South Africa. is a powerful with a good balance between acidity and sweetness.

The best vintages in sweet wine of South Africa

  • 2002With an average score of 4.70/5
  • 2006With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2005With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 1999With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 1997With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 1995With an average score of 4.60/5

The most used grape varieties in sweet wine of South Africa

  • Chenin Blanc
  • Sauvignon Blanc
  • Muscat de Frontignan
  • Riesling
  • Viognier
  • Muscat Blanc

The best wineries and winemakers for sweet wine of South Africa

A wine route planned in the region of South Africa? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best sweet wine of South Africa.

The word of the wine: Ovoids (tanks)

Egg-shaped vats used for wine making and maturing that favour the natural suspension of the lees thanks to the vortex movements, which give the wine more fat and fruity aromas.

Great natural sweet wines of South Africa

See the top 100 best natural sweet wines of South Africa

Want to buy a natural-sweet wine of South Africa cheap or sell a natural-sweet wine of South Africa at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a natural-sweet wine of South Africa

Natural sweet wines from the region of South Africa go well with generally quite well with dishes of beef, mature and hard cheese or lamb such as recipes of fondue with broth, snail and comté pie or lamb shoulder confit with harissa.

Organoleptic analysis of natural-sweet wine of South Africa

On the nose the natural sweet wine of the region of South Africa. often reveals types of flavors of cream, cherry or oaky and sometimes also flavors of smoke, red fruit or vanilla.

The best vintages in natural-sweet wine of South Africa

  • 1948With an average score of 4.80/5
  • 2001With an average score of 4.60/5
  • 2002With an average score of 4.50/5
  • 1993With an average score of 4.30/5
  • 2019With an average score of 4.27/5
  • 2006With an average score of 4.24/5

The most used grape varieties in natural-sweet wine of South Africa

  • Tinta Barroca
  • Touriga Nacional
  • Souzao
  • Tinta Roriz
  • Touriga Franca
  • Tinta Francisca

The best wineries and winemakers for natural-sweet wine of South Africa

A wine route planned in the region of South Africa? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best natural-sweet wine of South Africa.

Discover the grape variety: Touriga nacional

Most certainly Portuguese, not to be confused with the Touriga Franca also of the same origin. In Portugal, where it is widely cultivated, it is used to produce, among other things, the famous red Porto. It is also found in Uzbekistan, Australia, South Africa, Cyprus, Spain, etc... very little known in France, although it is listed in the Official Catalogue of A1 vines.

Great other wines of South Africa

See the top 100 best other wines of South Africa

Want to buy a other wine of South Africa cheap or sell a other wine of South Africa at the best price on the market? Find out which ones are popular and which ones to keep in your cellar for a few more years.

Food and wine pairing with a other wine of South Africa

Other wines from the region of South Africa go well with generally quite well with dishes of rich fish (salmon, tuna etc), shellfish or appetizers and snacks such as recipes of sun burger, fried squid or chorizo puff pastry.

The best vintages in other wine of South Africa

  • 0With an average score of 3.60/5
  • 2019With an average score of 3.60/5
  • 2018With an average score of 3.50/5

The most used grape varieties in other wine of South Africa

  • Shiraz/Syrah
  • Cinsault

The best wineries and winemakers for other wine of South Africa

A wine route planned in the region of South Africa? Here are the wineries to visit and the winemakers to meet during your trip in search of the best other wine of South Africa.

The word of the wine: Mansois

See servadou iron.