Chenin Blanc Association

🥁 The official 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 20 Challenge is here! 🥂

We are proud to present the official Top 20 wines for 2026. With the depth and quality of in South Africa, earning a place in this line-up is a remarkable achievement - congratulations to all producers!

💫 | Hope Marguerite 2025
💫 | Heritage Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | The Bernard Series Old Vine Chenin Blanc Limited Release 2025
💫 | Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2024
💫 | Hannuwa Amphora Chenin Blanc 2024
💫 | Mossiesdrift Steen 2025
💫 | Thokozani Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | Anna de Koning 2024
💫 | Anna de Koning 2025
💫 | Kliprug Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | The FMC 2025
💫 | Lightning Chenin Blanc 2024
💫 | The Dry Land Collection Courageous Barrel-Fermented Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | Mothership Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | 61 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | Old Bush Vine Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | La Cave Chenin Blanc 2025
💫 | Terroirs Chenin Blanc 2024
💫 | Chenin Blanc 2022

A huge congratulations to all producers and their teams. The Challenge continues to show the strength, range and ambition of South African Chenin Blanc, from old vine heritage to bold modern expressions.

Now the guessing begins. Which wines do you think will make the final Top 10?

The 2026 winners will be announced on 11 September - we can’t wait to share them with you!

We have wrapped up a strong week of judging for the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge.

Our thanks go to the judging panel for the expertise they brought to the tasting room, and to every producer who entered wines into this year’s Challenge. Each entry plays a role in showing the depth, ambition and continued progress of South African .

The results are now one step closer, and we cannot wait to share the wines that will form the 2026 .

Winners will be announced on 11 September 2026.

Judging is still underway for the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge.

Over these few days, our panel is tasting through this year’s entries blind, assessing each wine on its individual merit. With showing such breadth across South Africa, the process involves focus, careful discussion and a great understanding of how the variety performs across different vineyards, regions and winemaking approaches.

We look forward to seeing what the 2026 results will reveal about the current strength and direction of South African Chenin Blanc.

The winners will be announced on 11 September 2026.

Judging for the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge has officially begun.

The glasses are lined up, the wines are poured and the labels remain out of sight. Our judging panel is ready for a focused few days of tasting through some of South Africa’s leading entries.

This year’s panel brings together technical experience, cellar insight, sommelier perspective and a deep understanding of the variety’s range. As always, the Challenge looks at Chenin Blanc across style, origin and expression, with the final Top 10 representing wines that show balance, clarity, structure and excellence in the glass.

We wish our judges a strong first week and look forward to seeing the 2026 begin to take shape.

Chenin Blanc is one of the most adaptable tools in the kitchen, not just a wine for the glass but one that works seamlessly alongside food. Its natural balance of acidity, fruit and structure makes it a reliable choice across a wide range of cooking styles and ingredients.

From a technical perspective, Chenin’s acidity is key. It lifts sauces, cuts through richness and helps maintain freshness in dishes that might otherwise feel heavy. In reductions, that acidity keeps flavours focused rather than flat. In seafood or poultry dishes, it complements without overwhelming, while in cream-based preparations it brings contrast and clarity.

Its versatility extends further. In drier styles, Chenin adds precision and brightness to dishes like risottos, beurre blanc or pan sauces. In sweeter expressions, it can be used to glaze fruit, build depth in desserts or balance spice in more complex dishes. Its flavour profile, often sitting between orchard fruit, citrus and subtle honeyed notes, allows it to integrate rather than dominate.

For both chefs and home cooks, Chenin Blanc offers consistency and flexibility. It performs across techniques, adapts to different flavour profiles, and brings a sense of balance that is often the difference between a good dish and a considered one.

Introducing Janine van Zyl, Cape Wine Master, one of the new judges joining the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge panel.

Enter the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge here: https://shorturl.at/Xcmww

Janine brings significant experience as a wine professional and IWSC judge. Her background adds international judging perspective to a panel focused on identifying the top expressions of South African .

As entries are assessed blind, each wine must stand on its own merit. Janine’s experience will add depth to the conversation around structure, balance, ageability and the many stylistic forms Chenin Blanc can take.

We are delighted to welcome her to the 2026 judging panel.

Introducing Le Roi van de Vyver, sommelier and owner of Cabo Wines, who joins the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge judging panel.

Enter the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge here: https://shorturl.at/Xcmww

Le Roi is widely regarded for his tasting ability, insight and work within the South African wine trade. As a sommelier, he brings a strong understanding of how wine performs beyond the cellar – at the table, in service, and in conversation with consumers.

That perspective is especially valuable in a category as broad as . From freshness and precision to texture, depth and longevity, the asks each judge to consider how the variety expresses excellence across style and origin.

We are pleased to welcome Le Roi to the panel for 2026.

Introducing Nongcebo Langa, winemaker at Delheim Wines, who returns to the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge judging panel for 2026.

Enter the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge here: https://shorturl.at/Xcmww

Nongcebo has served on the panel for the past two years and now enters her final year as a judge for the Challenge. Her experience as a winemaker brings valuable technical insight to the tasting room, particularly in understanding how vineyard decisions, cellar choices and vintage conditions come together in the glass.

The relies on judges who can assess Chenin Blanc with precision, context and respect for the variety’s range. We are grateful to have Nongcebo’s voice on the panel once again.

For South African Chenin Blanc producers, the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge carries weight beyond recognition alone.

A place in the offers industry credibility, consumer trust and increased visibility for wines that represent the strength of the category. It also connects achievement in the cellar with impact in the workplace, as each winning producer receives R25 000 to support economic and social benefits for their team or wider community.

This is what makes the Challenge distinct. It recognises excellence at the top level of production, while ensuring that success continues to reach the people behind the vineyards, cellars and wineries.

Entries for the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge open from 1st June to 10 July 2026: https://shorturl.at/Xcmww

Introducing Ginette de Fleuriot, Cape Wine Master, who joins the 2026 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge as Chair Judge.

Enter the Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top 10 Challenge here: https://shorturl.at/Xcmww

Ginette has been part of the judging panel for the past three years, bringing a considered palate, broad industry perspective and a deep understanding of South African wine. Ginette now steps into the chair for this year’s .

Her role is central to guiding the panel through a blind tasting process that looks closely at balance, structure, varietal expression and the many ways presents itself across South Africa.

We look forward to her leadership as the 2026 Challenge takes shape.