Diners Club introduced the Winemaker of the Year award to acknowledge local winemakers who continue to raise the standard of wines produced in South Africa. The Young Winemaker of the Year award was established to encourage winemakers under the age of 30 to develop their skills, express their individuality, and add to the future prestige of South African wines internationally.

The Winemaker and Young Winemaker awards focus on quality and the recognition of excellence and are among the country’s most prestigious and most respected wine industry competitions. While most wine industry awards focus on the winning wines, the Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of the Year awards celebrate the creators of the winning wines, honouring the skills and talents of the vintners.

The awards are presented to winemakers who produce a wine that the judging panel considers to be the best in the two specified categories for the annual competition. This year, the category for the 45th Winemaker of the Year award was Cabernet Sauvignon, with White Wine the category for the 25th Young Winemaker of the Year award.

As in previous years, winemakers could be shortlisted for more than one submission. These awards are open to all in the South African wine industry at no cost, thus affording all winemakers an equal opportunity.

The competition attracted an even greater number of entries this year, and the field was narrowed down to 11 finalists through rigorous judging over two days by a team of wine experts. All the judges agreed that it was a close race for the top prizes, a clear indication that all the finalist wines were outstanding.

This year’s Diners Club Winemaker of the Year (Cabernet Sauvignon category), Coenie Snyman, delighted the judges with his Rock of Eye Cabernet Sauvignon 2022. The 2025 Diners Club Young Winemaker of the Year, Marnich Aucamp, received his award (White Wine category) for his Stellenbosch Vineyards Credo Chenin Blanc 2024.

The finalists for both awards were invited to the awards ceremony, where the winners were revealed and presented with their trophies. The 2025 Winemaker of the Year and Young Winemaker of the Year received cash prizes of R75,000 and R45,000, respectively, along with a round-trip air ticket to a wine-producing region, subject to the presenting sponsor’s terms and conditions.

The 2025 Diners Club Winemaker and Young Winemaker of The Year Judges Carrie Adams, Yegas Naidoo, Shane Mumba, Denzel Swarts, Johann Fourie, and Wayne Buckley