The Investec Trophy Wine Show marks its 25th edition in 2026, celebrating a quarter century of excellence in South African winemaking and the talent behind the country’s finest wines. Over more than two decades, the Show has become one of the country’s most respected wine competitions, celebrating not only outstanding wines, but also the people and practices behind them – from vineyard to cellar, and from judging bench to bottle. The competition has also played a consistent role in highlighting the quality of South African wine and the individuals and teams behind it. This year, the Show attracted 650 entries. The judging panel – chaired by leading South African wine authority and Chairman of the judges, Michael Fridjhon – brought together three international judges and 7 South African judges, including Oz Clarke OBE, Heidi Mäkinen MW and Kenichi Ohashi MW on the international panel, alongside Cathy van Zyl MW, Heidi Duminy CWM, Christian Eedes, Malu Lambert, Mandla Patson Mathonsi, JD Pretorius and Kyle Davids. Wines were assessed through a structured blind-tasting process designed to support fairness, consistency and confidence in the results.