Diemersdal Estate in Durbanville, recently named Top Performing Winery of the Year in this year’s Platter’s Guide, has opened the 2026 awards season on a high note with two Gold medals at the prestigious Sauvignon Selection by Concours Mondial de Bruxelles — one of the world’s leading international wine competitions.
Diemersdal’s Wild Horseshoe and The Journal Sauvignon Blancs, both from the acclaimed 2024 vintage, were awarded Gold among nearly 1,000 Sauvignon Blanc entries from 25 countries. Held in Varaždin, Croatia, this year’s competition saw South Africa secure 13 Gold medals, with Diemersdal contributing two of those accolades.
“These awards are a wonderful way to start the year and affirm our confidence in the quality of the 2024 vintage at Diemersdal,” says Thys Louw, sixth-generation proprietor and winemaker. “A cool, mild growing season following a cold, wet winter created ideal conditions for our dryland vineyards. As these results show, exceptional wines begin in the vineyard.”
That said, meticulous cellar craftsmanship plays an equally important role. Both The Journal and Wild Horseshoe are wood-matured Sauvignon Blancs, crafted to achieve a seamless balance between Diemersdal’s cool-climate terroir expression and layered textural complexity.
The Journal Sauvignon Blanc is produced from carefully selected vineyards on the estate’s cooler maritime slopes, where site-specific viticulture ensures optimal ripeness while preserving natural acidity. Low yields and precise canopy management enhance both flavour concentration and structural depth. In the cellar, the wine is fermented and matured in 500-litre French oak barrels, 20% of which are new, followed by approximately 11 months of extended maturation at low temperatures. The result is a Sauvignon Blanc defined by elegance, restraint, and site-driven complexity.
Wild Horseshoe takes a more unconventional approach. After harvesting, the grapes undergo extended skin contact of around 96 hours to build phenolic texture and depth. Fermentation occurs naturally using wild yeasts, after which the wine is matured in oak barrels for approximately 11 months. This process yields a Sauvignon Blanc with notable structure, a layered mouthfeel, and a distinctive, expressive character.
“We are immensely encouraged to see wooded and skin-contact South African Sauvignon Blancs gaining international recognition, particularly on platforms such as the Sauvignon Selection,” says Louw. “While global demand has traditionally favoured fresh, unwooded styles, oak maturation and bottle ageing reveal Sauvignon Blanc’s remarkable ability to deliver complexity and nuance on par with the world’s great white varieties. This is opening up an exciting new dimension of appreciation for the cultivar — one we are proud to champion at Diemersdal.”
