SA’s premier wine competition, the National Wine Challenge (NWC) 2024, open only to fine wine producers, recently launched this year’s astounding results!
All of us at Ridgeback Wines have been so excited and intrigued by the results, just as much as the organisers, stakeholders and judges.
The competition is always meticulously organised. 10 categories of wines were judged, including white, red, rosé, MCC and sparkling, natural sweet, fortified, and vintages (white, red, MCC). The winning wines, those that achieved Double Platinum/Top 100 status awards in the 2024 Top 100 results, earned scores of between 91/100 and 95/100.
Celebrating Two Decades of Award-Winning Excellence
Our first vines were planted as far back as 2000, and we’re proud of our recent accolades, where we soared amongst the top 100 in this competition! This just motivates us to continue our winemaking excellence, along with our devoted team. These are the wines that made waves, and we invite you to try them for yourself.
- The Ridgeback Cabernet Franc reigns supreme as the Red Wine of the Year and takes home the Grand Cru award. It also claimed a spot amongst the Top 100 & Double Platinum recipients. Find out more about this show stopper.
- Ridgeback Merlot and Ridgeback The Journey made it to The Top 100 & Double Platinum awards.
- Ridgeback Viognier 2023 receives a Double Gold award, so come browse this award-winning wine.
There is so much that goes into creating our award-winning wines that satisfy palates and create a truly unique taste.
It certainly takes a meticulous blend of a few attributes, to produce exceptional wines:
What Makes Our Wines Award-Winning
- Exceptional terroir: Our environment is ideal for grape cultivation, with the perfect combination of climate, soil, and topography.
- Meticulous viticulture: Grapes are harvested through practices that involve the utmost precision.
- Balance and complexity: Our unique wines have a harmonious balance of flavours, aromas, and textures, giving them depth and complexity.
- Consistency: Year after year, our standards are maintained with consistent quality.
- Our Cellarmaster: For over two decades, Toit Wessels our Cellarmaster has been integral to the Ridgeback story. His journey began in the vineyards, where his deep understanding of soils, honed during his early years as a viticulturist, laid the foundation for his award-winning winemaking. This intimate knowledge of the land, from the very roots of the vines to the sunshine gracing the grapes, continues to guide his approach, ensuring each bottle captures the unique essence of our terroir.
- Passion and dedication: Behind all the wine magic is a committed and passionate winemaking team who focus on excellence.
- Unique character: Ridgeback Wines include distinctive characteristics of our unique vineyard, making each sip a memorable experience for anyone who visits us. Browse our selection.
A Word From Our CellarMaster
Toit Wessels, Cellarmaster: “The Ridgeback team is incredibly honoured to be the recipient of the NWC Top 100 Competition Red Wine of the Year award as well as the Grand Cru award for the Ridgeback Cabernet Franc 2021. We consider this to be a showcase of the finest wines in the industry where we hold all our peers in the very highest regard and therefore make this award so special. Thank you.”
You’re welcome to Click here to read more about the NWC, 2024. View our Wines to discover our award-winning wines for yourself, and experience the heart of Paarl in a bottle.
