The judges have sniffed, swirled and sipped their way through 167 wines entered by 98 producers, and the results are in. The 2025 FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 winners were announced at Vergelegen Wine Estate this week, and the lineup nails the cultivar’s chameleon-like versatility.
"This year’s 19th FNB Sauvignon Blanc SA Top 10 is a mirror of the excellence that defines our cultivar,” says Elunda Basson, Chairman of Sauvignon Blanc SA. "These wines reflect our winemakers’ craftsmanship in shaping texture, layers and ageing potential from this noble grape. We proudly showcase both younger and older vintages and an exciting diversity of styles from cool and warm regions alike."
Whether you like your Sauvvie wooded or unwooded, from the cool Hemel-en-Aarde or warmer winelands of Stellenbosch, young or age-worthy. There’s a bottle for you. And if you like to throw in a few blocks of ice, well, that’s up to you.
But here’s the clincher. While we're happy to share the 10 winners in alphabetical order, we’ve also done the hard yards to help your pocket.
Because what really matters when payday is a long way off is how much each bottle is going to set you back.
So, if expert judges have rated all of these wines as amongst the top 10 Sauvignon Blancs South Africa has to offer, how much would you rather pay? 80 bucks, or 350?
The 2025 Top 10 winners (alphabetical):
- Ataraxia Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- Cederberg Ghost Corner Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2024
- Delaire Graff Coastal Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- Groote Post Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- Kleine Zalze Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2023
- Maastricht Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- Merwida Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- Rietvallei John B Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- Steenberg Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2023
- Vrede en Lust Artisan Range Blanc Fumé 2021
The winners (by price)*
- R80: Rietvallei — John B Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- R94: Merwida — Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- R130: Maastricht — Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- R145: Groote Post — Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- R175: Ataraxia — Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- R195: Steenberg — Barrel Fermented Sauvignon Blanc 2023
- R275: Delaire Graff — Coastal Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc 2025
- R299: Kleine Zalze — Family Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2023
- R340: Cederberg Ghost Corner — Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc 2024
- R350: Vrede en Lust — Artisan Range Blanc Fumé 2021
So which would you buy? There’s serious value at the bottom end (hello, Rietvallei at R80!), but it’s also worth tasting across styles: the wooded trio (Steenberg/Kleine Zalze/Vrede en Lust) bring texture and spice; coastal/cool-climate bottlings (Ataraxia, Maastricht) skew flinty and zesty; and classics like Delaire Graff and Ghost Corner layer in complexity without losing zip. Or, try them all!
*Time Out has made every effort to source accurate, up-to-date pricing, preferably from producer sites; any errors will be corrected when notified.
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