SA Wine Industry

From smarter fermentation to water-saving bottling systems, this year’s SIMEI Innovation Challenge winners offer a glimpse of where winery technology is heading.

The global market for beverage and liquid food machinery is worth R829.02 billion. As SIMEI prepares to open in Milan in November, new figures suggest that packaging, automation and technologies shared across industries could change the next chapter of winemaking.

The Stellenbosch Wine Routes has welcomed respected industry veteran Jean Engelbrecht as the new chairperson of the organisation’s board of directors. Jean takes over after the acclaimed tenure by Michael Ratcliffe of nine years.

In a wine market under pressure to rethink volume and value, Burton Francis is taking a different route. Working with winemaker Kevin Grant, he is making small-production Chardonnay and Pinot Noir that put the character of Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge first – with a purpose that reaches well beyond the vineyard.

South Africa continues to make its mark on the global stage, taking two of the three World’s Best Rising Star spots, with Mullineux and Alheit Vineyards shortlisted alongside Spain’s Comando G. The Sadie Family Wines, Rising Star winner in 2023 and 2024, has also progressed to the Best Fine Wine Producer in the Rest of the World shortlist. The shortlist is voted for by an Academy of nearly 1,300 senior wine and spirits professionals, whose insights directly inform the full report (released during the awards weekend).

When KWV’s Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020 claimed the Duimpie Bayly Vertex Trophy at the 2026 Veritas Awards, it was more than another win for the Paarl-based producer. It was only the third time a Cap Classique had taken the competition’s highest honour, selected from 1 293 entries.

Brookdale Estate has announced the launch of its Wine Club, inviting wine lovers to become part of the estate’s ongoing evolution to discover new and exclusive wines from its Paarl cellar.

From lighter bottles to automated packing lines, packaging decisions are becoming increasingly important to the cost and competitiveness of South African wine.

Supplement your love of authentic South African stories with one of the most exciting opportunities to learn about wine at Woordfees in Stellenbosch, from 3 to 11 October.

'n Twee-dag sessie deur WIETA and Stronger Together South Africa op etiese leierskap vir kelders, plase en handelsmerke by Lourensford en Du Kloof Lodge het insigte oor herlewingsboerdery opgelewer.

The Niche Varieties Challenge took place again in 2026 to give innovative niche wines a more visible platform and to highlight the diversity developing beyond South Africa's mainstream cultivars.

Franschhoek Wine Valley (FWV) has opened the search for a Head of Destination Marketing and Development - a senior leadership appointment that will help steer one of South Africa's most distinctive tourism destinations through its most significant evolution in a generation.