Recently at the prestigious Master Winemaker 100 awards held in Paris, South Africa’s Johan Jordaan earned a major new title for his work in Chenin Blanc winemaking.
Stellenbosch, South Africa (10 June 2025) – In yet another award for winemaking excellence, Johan Jordaan, Cellar Master at Spier was recently named the Global Chenin Blanc Master Winemaker for 2025 at the prestigious Master Winemaker 100 Awards held in Paris.
The Master Winemaker 100 is one of the industries most prestigious awards, honouring the men and women who work in the fields, are the scientific brains behind our favourite bottles uncorked. The Master Winemaker 100 has honoured the greatest winemakers for the past 12 years.
Wines are judged blind by an elite panel of Masters of Wine, Master Sommeliers, and senior buyers. The competition evaluates wines purely on style and merit, without preconceptions of region or reputation.
To earn a place in the Master Winemaker 100, producers must first secure Master medals in these demanding competitions, making the recognition a true testament to consistent excellence at the highest level. Two Spier Chenin Blancs earned their spots in The Global Wine Masters competition: the Spier Good Natured Chenin Blanc 2023 and Spier 21 Gables Chenin Blanc 2022 both earned Master gold medals. It was this that placed Johan Jordaan in the running for the Global Chenin Blanc Master Winemaker.
Johan’s work with the Chenin variety has produced some world-class winners. He shares that it’s a dream to work with but it’s a hands on variety.
“Chenin is a wine built in layers. From vineyard to bottle, it takes many hands, and a deep respect for the land,” Johan says. “While it’s a winemaker’s dream to work with, it also demands a hands-on approach and deep understanding of the vineyards.”
He shares that the Chenin variety has a rich history in South Africa, having been planted in the 17th century, with the earliest records dating back to 1655. Today 18.4% of the country’s vineyards are made up of variety.
“Good wine starts with good soil,” says Jordaan. “Our approach to Chenin Blanc, like everything we do at Spier, begins with caring for the land. This recognition belongs to our entire team – from the people nurturing our soils to those crafting these wines in our cellar.”
This is yet another win for South Africa, adding to the tally of wine wins for the year. Well done Jordan, we are so proud!
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