According to Thys Louw, Diemersdal’s owner-winemaker, the early release is largely driven by the market. “As owners of an established brand, Diemersdal is in a fortunate position to have customers clamouring for our Sauvignon Blanc from the new vintage each year,” he says. “This, as well as the quality of this year’s grapes being conducive to a quick ferment and a short stay to settle in the tank towards making a quality wine of varietal expression, has allowed us to deliver one of the Cape’s first Sauvignon Blancs from the 2026 vintage.”

Diemersdal Thys Juandre
Thys Louw and Juandré Bruwer in the Diemersdal vineyards.

Juandré Bruwer, who works alongside Thys in the Diemersdal cellar, says the 2026 vintage presented exceptional quality Sauvignon Blanc despite warm to hot conditions experienced from November to January.

“We had a magnificent growing season due to consistent warm conditions during the spring and early summer of 2025,” he says. “Despite initial concerns at the hot, windy and dry conditions experienced from November through to January, the grapes ripened beautifully, with yields per hectare being above average.

“I think it has a lot to do with our vines being unirrigated, dryland plants that have adapted to the vagaries of climate and unfailingly give us even, well-ripened grapes,” says Juandré.

Diemersdal’s Sauvignon Blanc harvesters hit the vineyards on 19 January, and the early grapes showed brisk acidity and assertive varietal character, with the balanced chemistry allowing for wine that was ready for bottling last week. The first wines exude zest and freshness along with delectable tropical notes of gooseberry and passion-fruit, with bracing, fresh acidity.

After picking and crushing, the Sauvignon Blanc juice was fermented at between 13 °C to 16 °C, before a few weeks’ lees-contact at 13 °C.

“As a Sauvignon Blanc producer, harvest time puts you in a vice where you are pushed from both sides,” Thys says. “On the one hand, the grapes need picking, crushing, and vinifying. On the other hand, our customers are crying out for 2026 Sauvignon Blanc, South Africa’s most popular white wine varietal. This is an extremely satisfying situation for a wine maker to be in, as at the end of the day it is the demand for your product that drives you to do what you do.”

The Diemersdal Sauvignon Blanc 2026 is available at a recommended retail price of R95.00.