Dekkersvlei Wins Gold at Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards 2026

This year, eight Dekkersvlei wines have been awarded medals at the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards, with seven Gold medals and one Silver. For a working wine farm in the Paarl Winelands, it is a welcome nod to the wines being made at Dekkersvlei and the variety in the cellar, from classic Cape varieties to the farm’s distinctive White Pinotage.

What are the Michelangelo Awards?

If you have ever wondered what all those little gold and silver stickers on wine bottles actually mean, the Michelangelo International Wine & Spirits Awards are a good place to start.

Established in 1997, the awards were created to give South African wine and spirits producers the opportunity to have their products assessed by experienced international professionals. Today, the competition has judges from around the world and is recognised as one of Africa’s major wine and spirits competitions.

One of the things that makes the judging interesting is that the wines are tasted blind. In other words, the judges are assessing what is in the glass rather than the label, the winery’s reputation or the price of the bottle. Entries are judged by panels using the international 100-point system.

The medals then correspond to scores. Gold is awarded to wines scoring 89 points or higher, while Silver starts at 86 points.

This means that when a wine receives Gold, it has been judged on its own merits and has made an impression with a panel of wine professionals.

Medals for Dekkersvlei

The line-up says something about the range of wines produced at Dekkersvlei. Pinotage naturally features strongly, with three different vintages receiving Gold, while the Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Chenin Blanc show the breadth of the vineyard.

Then there is the 2025 White Pinotage, Dekkersvlei’s most distinctive wines. As the home of the world’s first White Pinotage since 2007, Dekkersvlei has seen it become a signature and standout wine for the farm.

The Dekkersvlei Shiraz 2024 was awarded a Silver medal, adding another recognised wine to the collection

From Vineyard to Glass

Dekkersvlei is a working wine farm in Paarl where wine is part of the experience of visiting the farm. The awards offer another reason to stop in, whether you are looking to discover a new bottle, revisit a favourite or try the White Pinotage that began its story here.

Visit Dekkersvlei to explore the award-winning range.