The wine industry was abuzz recently with the launch of the Platter’s by Diners Club South African Wine Guide 2018, which was also used to announce the highly anticipated 5-star rated wines. Franschhoek Vignerons did not disappoint, with a total of six producers receiving the prestigious rating.

The 5-star winning wineries were:

Bellingham

Boekenhoutskloof

Chamonix

Colmant

Môreson

Mullineux

A total of 111 five-star wines are featured in the 2018 guides, which is scheduled for release later this month. All wines that scored 4,5 stars (equivalent to 90 points) or higher in the primary assessment went into the second round of tasting, which was conducted blind by small panels. According to publisher Jean-Pierre Rossouw the high number of five-star wines is to testament to the ever-improving winemaking, which is aided in no small part by the exceptional quality of the highly regarded 2015 and 2017 vintages.

The guide, which made its debut in 1980, is regarded as South Africa’s leading wine manual, with a total of 1,4 million hardcover copies printed. The guide is also available on mobile and desktop devices, which makes accessible to wine aficionados both locally and internationally.