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Two KWV wines earn places on Tim Atkin’s 2026 Podium, alongside 19 “outstanding” scores across six wine ranges.
KWV has secured two coveted places on The Podium in British Master of Wine Tim Atkin’s 2026 South Africa Report, with Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020 named Best Value Sparkling Wine of the Year and KWV Classic Collection Cape Tawny NV named Best Value Fortified Wine of the Year.
The Podium is Atkin’s annual roll-call of the wines, winemakers and industry performers he regards among South Africa’s best. For KWV, the recognition is particularly significant: the Cape Tawny returns to the Podium after receiving the same Best Value Fortified Wine of the Year title in 2025, while Laborie’s 92-point Blanc de Blancs takes one of the report’s top sparkling wine honours.
The Podium results crown a strong showing for KWV, which secured 19 scores of 90 points or higher in the 2026 South Africa Report. Atkin classifies scores at this level as “outstanding”, reserved for highly accomplished wines that exhibit that golden trifecta of depth, character and elegance.
The results extend across six KWV ranges and multiple wine styles, from flagship regional expressions and established blends to Cap Classique and fortified wine. Leading the scores are KWV’s The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2024 and The Mentors Chenin Blanc 2024, each awarded 94 points.
The two 94-point whites are followed by The Mentors Orchestra 2023, The Mentors Perold 2023 and KWV Classic Collection Cape Tawny NV, each awarded 93 points.
For KWV Chief Winemaker Justin Corrans, the significance of these results lies in the sustained recognition from Atkin.
“It’s significant to be rated highly, year after year, across the portfolio,” says Corrans. “That consistency is what matters at KWV. Seeing 90-plus scores across six of our ranges this year, in line with where Atkin has consistently placed KWV, is confirmation that we’re doing the right things season after season, vintage after vintage.”
KWV sources grapes from vineyards across several of the Cape’s leading wine-growing areas, allowing its winemakers to select the best quality sites and grapes.
That quality is reflected across KWV’s results in Tim Atkin’s 2026 South Africa Report, placing the cellar’s wines firmly in the top tier, with attributes such as freshness, focus and palate length evident across the portfolio. Other noteworthy performances include five 90-plus scores for Cathedral Cellar and two for Roodeberg, as well as a 92-point result for The Culturist Red Blend 2023. Laborie’s performance is further underlined by its two 90-plus Cap Classique scores, led by the Podium-winning Blanc de Blancs 2020.
KWV’s Tim Atkin 2026 scores:
- 94 points: The Mentors Grenache Blanc 2024; The Mentors Chenin Blanc 2024
- 93 points: The Mentors Orchestra 2023; The Mentors Perold 2023; Classic Collection Cape Tawny NV
- 92 points: Cathedral Cellar Chardonnay 2025; Laborie Blanc de Blancs 2020; The Culturist Red Blend 2023; The Mentors Cabernet Franc 2023; The Mentors Canvas 2023; The Mentors Petit Verdot 2023
- 91 points: The Mentors Pinotage 2023; Roodeberg Dr Charles Niehaus 2023; Cathedral Cellar Sauvignon Blanc 2025; Cathedral Cellar Shiraz 2023
- 90 points: Cathedral Cellar Cabernet Sauvignon 2023; Cathedral Cellar Triptych 2023; Laborie Cap Classique Brut NV; Roodeberg Red Blend 2024
Tim Atkin MW is a British Master of Wine and internationally recognised wine critic whose annual South Africa Report provides an independent assessment of the country’s wines, producers and regions.