All the best-selling features of the collectible editions are present and fully updated for the 2026 guide, in which well over 900 producers, merchants and brands are featured, including more than 30 new ones, and over 8,000 locally produced wines, as well as brandies, husk spirits and sherry-style wines.
Since 1980, Platter's has been the definitive guide for wine enthusiasts and connoisseurs alike. This indispensable companion offers expertly crafted, independent ratings and reviews of South Africa's finest wines, wineries, and estates. Through a unique combination of sighted and blind tastings, this trusted guide delivers honest, insightful recommendations to help you discover hidden gems and celebrated classics. Whether you're a seasoned sommelier or a casual sipper, The John Platter Wine Guide 2026 is your key to navigating the vibrant and diverse world of South African wine.
A
Warm Welcome from Diners Club
5. Some Trends in South African Wine,
7.
Editors
Note,
9. Our Method and the Accolades we Award,
10. Honour Roll,
11.
Wineries
of the Year,
12. Wines of the Year
13. Five Stars,
16. Highly Recommended,
19.
Hidden Gems,
20. Buy Now/Drink Later,
21. Tasters for this Edition,
24. How
to
use this Guide,
27. A-Z of South African Producer's,
603. This Years Ratings
Summarised,
634. The Industry,
657. Styles and Vintages,
663. Words and
Phrases,
668. Touring Wine Country.682. Wine land Maps.
Philip van Zyl is the editor of Platter's by Diners Club South African Wine Guide, the original and still biggest-selling annual guide to South Africa's wine and winelands. A journalist by profession, Philip has written about wine for more than 20 years. He has contributed to several publications and websites, including Hugh Johnson's Pocket Wine Book, the leading international wine guide, Wine magazine and Grape, and was a partner and resident wine taster in a wine mail-order club, Wine500, based in Stellenbosch. He has also been an invited judge for professional tastings and competitions locally and overseas. In 2020 he was named Wine Personality of the Year by the Institute of Cape Wine Masters. He lives and works in Somerset West, near Cape Town.
