Tim Atkin MW Unveils Shortlist For 2025 South Africa Special Report Celebrating Wine Excellence

For the first time in 13 years, the annual South Africa Special Report issued by Tim Atkin MW, in proud partnership with Private Clients by Old Mutual Wealth, is announcing a shortlist of contenders for five of its top awards.

The highly anticipated report will be published on September 2, revealing the winners in these and other categories, along with details of top-scoring wines.

Explaining the decision to release the shortlist, Tim says: “South Africa’s excellence in wine-growing, winemaking and tourism continues to soar. This is despite the many structural, economic, geo-political and climatic setbacks the industry faces. To me, it seems an opportune moment to acknowledge the breadth of talent underpinning the sector. Identifying the top four candidates in each of these five key categories is my shout-out for their role in maintaining the country’s pre-eminence.

“Some of the people who receive special mention in the upcoming report have worked with each other in the past or with those who have appeared on previous rolls of honour. It’s a reflection of the collaborative generosity in South Africa’s winemaking community, the willingness to inspire vision and impart and build skills. Among the 2025 nominees there are two examples of successive winemakers at specific wineries, as if one person has left an inspired imprint for the next person to use, if not better.”

Rising stars

First up among the alphabetically listed candidates for Atkin’s Rising Stars is Angus Paul from Stellenbosch, who previously worked under Chris and Andrea Mullineux and Johan Reyneke. He has been making wines under his eponymous label since 2020. His primary focus is on the grapes he calls “intrinsic to the South African landscape”, Chenin Blanc, Pinotage and Cinsault.

Next is Duncan Stuart, winemaker at Kloovenburg Wine & Olives in the Swartland since 2021. He has been making a name for himself with mostly Mediterranean varieties, making the most of fantastic vineyards and shining the spotlight on exciting new varieties like Garnacha Peluda.

Banele Vakele, a former Cape Winemakers Guild Protégé, is assistant winemaker at Savage Wines, where he also produces his personal range under the Tembela Wines label. The isi-Xhosa name was his late mother’s and means faith, hope or belief. He uses only organically grown fruit. He also has a fantastic range of hats.

The fourth is Megan van der Merwe, viticulturist and winemaker at Beau Constantia. Her limited-edition wines are frequently showcased at the winery’s celebrated Chef’s Warehouse restaurant. Megan has revolutionised Beau Constantia’s social media and cellar door operations, bringing humour, fun and a younger profile to both.

Young winemaker of the year

Contenders for the Young Winemaker title include Stuart Botha, who joined Tokara in Stellenbosch in 2017, succeeding Miles Mossop. Botha first came to global attention as winemaker for Eagles’ Nest in Constantia. At Tokara he has demonstrated consistently his versatility with both whites and reds, to accelerate his international award-winning track record, as well as overseeing the release of its icon wine, Telos.

Swartland-raised Jolandie Fouché left Kloovenburg in 2020 to focus full time on her own Wolf & Woman Wines, working with South Africa’s emblematic grapes Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. Atkin chose one of her Chenins as White Wine Discovery the Year in the 2019 edition of his report. Her wines have achieved their highest ever scores this year.

Franco (“Poenie”) Lourens runs his family winery in Paarl, eschewing the addition of yeast, acid or enzymes. He sources fruit from Stellenbosch, as well as from the Swartland and Piekenierskloof (Olifants River), with the accent on Chenin Blanc and Mediterranean grapes. His labels are some of the most distinctive in the Cape.

The fourth nominee is Emul Ross, winemaker since 2015 at the famous Hamilton Russell Vineyards in the Hemel-en-Aarde, having worked under Gottfried Mocke at Chamonix. He is a member of the prestigious, by-invitation-only Cape Winemakers Guild, which recognises at least five consecutive years of outstanding winemaking. He also makes the Tesselaarsdal wines with Berene Sauls.

Winemaker of the year

All four contenders for the Winemaker of the Year title are also Cape Winemakers Guild members. Richard Kershaw is one of a small international group of Wine Masters who are also winemakers. Based in cool-climate Elgin, he concentrates on site-specific, clonally selected Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Syrah.

Miles Mossop, who spent almost two decades at Tokara, sources from across the Western Cape for his small-scale eponymous wine brand, established in 2004. His red Bordeaux blends are some of best in South Africa. He also consults for The High Road.

Gordon Newton Johnson took over winemaking at his family’s Upper Hemel-en-Aarde property in 1999 from his father Dave. He and his wife Nadia (co-winemaker since 2006) have earned international acclaim for their Pinot Noirs and Chardonnays over many years, as well as pioneering Albariño in the Cape.

Donovan Rall of Rall Wines, who previously worked under Eben Sadie, sources from what were once neglected vineyards that he helps to nurture and preserve, working with local communities. Donovan excels with Syrah, Chenin Blanc, Cinsault and white blends.

Viticulturist of the year

Fritz Breytenbach, who is based in Robertson, has been farming for more than 60 years and was one of South Africa’s earliest advocates for regenerative agriculture to build soil health and climate resilience. Now in his eighties, he is by far the oldest of the contenders for the Viticulturist of the Year Award, but remains active and famously young at heart.

Another is Danie Carinus from Stellenbosch. Apart from his own highly respected wines under the Carinus Family Vineyards label, he also supplies grapes to some of the country’s foremost winemakers from his Bluegum Grove farm in the Polkadraai Hills.

Willem Joubert of Hartenburg Estate, also in Stellenbosch, is one of the country’s leading regenerative growers. He has helped to enhance soil health and structure, as well as vine health and resilience and biodiversity through detailed inter-row seasonal cover cropping and the introduction of sheep and cattle as eco-grazers. The winery is the first in South Africa (and one of two globally) to have been certified under the Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) framework for its agro-viticulture.

The last of the four is Nico Walters of Quoin Rock Wines, who has played a pivotal role in rejuvenating the winery’s Stellenbosch vineyards since joining in 2012 and knows the terroirs of the Simonbserg as well as anyone. He also works with old vines on other Stellenbosch properties owned by the winery and has recently added land at Cape Agulhas to his portfolio.

Best cellar door experience

Atkin has also nominated four wineries for Best Cellar Door Experience. They are Gabriëlskloof in Bot River, Jordan Wine Estate in Stellenbosch Kloof, Steenberg Vineyards of Constantia and Vondeling in the Voor Paardeberg.

The report will be available to the public from 2 September, via www.timatkin.com.

2025 South Africa Special Report shortlist

Rising star of the year Angus Paul, Angus Paul Wines Duncan Stuart, Kloovenburg Wine & Olives Banele Vakele, Tembela Wines Megan van der Merwe, Beau Constantia

Young winemaker of the year Stuart Botha, Tokara Jolandie Fouché, Wolf & Woman Wines Franco Lourens, Lourens Family Vineyards Emul Ross, Hamilton Russell Vineyards

Winemaker of the year Richard Kershaw MW, Kershaw Wines Miles Mossop, Miles Mossop Wines Gordon Newton Johnson, Newton Johnson Family Vineyards Donovan Rall, Rall Wines

Viticulturist of the year Fritz Breytenbach Danie Carinus, Bluegum Grove Wilhelm Joubert, Hartenberg Estate Nico Walters, Quoin Rock Wines

Best cellar door experience of the year Gabriëlskloof Jordan Wine Estate Steenberg Vineyards Vondeling