Prescient Fund Services Signature Red Blend Report 2026: Top 10
By Christian Eedes, 23 June 2026
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Introduction
This year’s Signature Red Blend Report sponsored by financial services company Prescient Fund Services is now out. There were 55 entries from 45 producers and these were tasted blind (labels out of sight) by a three-person panel, scoring done according to the 100-point quality scale.
Top 10
The 10 best wines overall are as follows:
95 – Best overall
Boschendal Nicolas 2023
Price: R265
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 13.5%
Wins R10,000 in shipping from Aspiring Couriers.
95
Nederburg Baronne 2024
Price: R105
Wine of Origin: Western Cape
Abv: 13.67%
94
De Wet Vintage MashUp Shiraz Pinotage Durif 2023
Price: R105
Wine of Origin: Worcester
Abv: 14.3%
94
Donkiesbaai Suiderkruis 2024
Price: R389
Wine of Origin: Piekenierskloof
Abv: 13.11%
94
Florence by Aaldering Winemakers Selection Cape Blend 2024
Price: R179
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 14.17%
94
Koelenbosch Nineteenfortyone 2023 (Koelenhof)
Price: R97.50
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 14.04%
94
Rust en Vrede Estate 2022
Price: R699
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 14.32%
93
Baleia Limitados Calcerea 2022
Price: R395
Wine of Origin: Lower Duivenshok River
Abv: 14%
93
Boschendal Black Angus 2022
Price: R599
Wine of Origin: Stellenbosch
Abv: 14%
93 – Best buy
Chateau Libertas 2025
Price: R89
Wine of Origin: Western Cape
Abv: 13.52%
Shop online
Online wine shop Getwine is offering all of the top wines for sale – buy wine.
About Signature Red Blends
Why should South Africa be bound by the Bordeaux model when it comes to creating great blended red wine? Perhaps the Rhône is a better reference point given local growing conditions while the so-called “Cape Blend” incorporating Pinotage potentially gives us a unique selling proposition. Then, of course, there are the red blends of yesteryear – Alto Rouge, Chateau Libertas and Rustenberg Dry Red to name but three – which conformed to no particular model but are revered for their complexity and longevity.
Once again, we called for wines which were “distinctive of their originators” and instead of the usual practice of dividing them into various sub-groups according to style (Pinotage-based vs Shiraz-based being the differentiation most usually made), we tasted them as one continuous line-up – the thinking being that the fundamentals of wine appreciation such as complexity and balance should apply when it came to making quality assessments.
What do top Signature Red Blends go for?
The average price of the 32 wines to rate 90-plus is R303 a bottle and of the Top 10 is R292.
In-depth analysis
To read the report in full, including key findings, tasting notes for the top wines, buying guide (wines ranked by quality relative to price) and scores on the 100-point quality scale for all wines entered, download the following: PFS Signature Red Blend Report 2026
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Ashley Westaway | 23 June 2026
Peculiar results… Kaapzicht, Le Sueur, Baronne, amongst others
Gareth I | 24 June 2026
Baronne @ 95 points?!
Josua | 24 June 2026
At 1.15m bottles produces, I suspect they won’t all taste like a 95 point wine.
Kwispedoor | 24 June 2026
If high-volume wines (like Baronne & Chateau Libertas here) are entered into blind tastings, I think they should add a batch number to the results. It’s prudent, fair and – from a consumer’s perspective – necessary. It will also help protect the producers against negative publicity – I mean, if the wine is great, that’s fantastic and they deserve all praise. Doubly so at those volumes. But the consumer needs to know if they are buying exactly the same wine or not.
I wonder if the judges will be stocking up on these two wines? They should, right?
Jamie Johnson | 24 June 2026
As clearly shown at the ITWS where it scored 91. Always good to cross reference as discussed before.
Kate Jackson | 25 June 2026
Thanks for the engagement – and fair question on consistency in higher-volume wines.
At Nederburg, Baronne is blended as a single, homogeneous wine. Before bottling, all tanks are analytically checked and jointly approved – both on paper and in the glass – by the winemaker and cellar master. That’s what anchors the style and ensures the blend is exactly what it’s meant to be.
While we do bottle across multiple runs during the year, each bottling run works off a tightly defined specification. The wine is prepared in the same way every time, against that approved blend profile. As with any wine, you may see the odd bottle variation, but fundamentally it’s the same wine that was evaluated.
Importantly, this isn’t a once-off result. A separate bottling of the same wine recently scored 91 points at the Investec Trophy Wine Show, which reinforces that the quality holds up across bottlings. The 2020 Baronne also placed in the Top 10 of Winemag’s Signature Red Blend Report a few years ago – so there’s a bit of a track record here.
On the broader point – if a wine consistently performs at this level and still lands on shelf at around R100, that’s exactly the kind of result we’re aiming for: accessible, reliable quality that over-delivers. As for whether the judges would choose to stock up on the wine themselves, we would certainly hope that a wine deemed worthy of 95 points would earn a place in their cellars as well as those of consumers looking for exceptional value and quality.
Jamie Johnson | 24 June 2026
Higher than Columella 23 got @ 94pts sighted by Christian. Would be an interesting side by side tasting to see which came out on top.
Donald Griffiths | 24 June 2026
The shade being thrown the way of those wines in the Top 10 that are around and under R100 per bottle is not only predictable but necessary. Its only right that the whole blind tasting 100 point scoring method is questioned. There will be outliers both in price and provenance that do surprisingly well, offset by wannabe unicorns who do equally as badly. An equilibrium of sorts gets struck. Its kind of like what Churchill said about democracy. Its not a perfect system, but its the best system we’ve got.
Darno | 26 June 2026
As someone who enjoys both Baronne and Château Libertas, I can say with confidence that these wines stand out for their consistent quality and heritage. Not all wines’ price points truly reflect the quality inside the bottle , hey, but Baronne proves that exceptional value and craftsmanship can be accessible to a broader population. The fact that Baronne holds the No. 2 spot and has already picked up awards this year speaks volumes. If the market and judges recognize its excellence, who are we to argue? Château Libertas, with its iconic legacy, continues to embody authenticity and tradition, reminding us why these brands remain trusted names generation after generation. For me, both wines are more than labels, they are symbols of South African wine at its best: accessible, reliable, and worthy of the recognition they’ve earned.
Derrick | 27 June 2026
Hi,
I live in Denmark and drink only South African wines. In my younger yes
I collected French wines and sold them all. There is a lot of snobbery around French wines and to my mind don’t have the quality of South African wines. I usually by Silverboom from Swartland the red and white. They are excellent, the red is robust and have an alcohol percent of 15%. The Chardonnay is lcooling light and crisp with notes of apricots. Where in South Africa is it possible to buy this brand?
Edi James | 27 June 2026
I see that Koelenhof raised the price of Koelenbosch Nineteenfortyone 2023 to R125.