Our History

The South African Young Wine Show was held for the first time in 1833, is probably one of the oldest wine shows in the world and the oldest in the Southern Hemisphere.

Started by the Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society in 1833, the first show was held in the Company’s Garden in Cape Town. When the Agricultural Show moved to Rosebank and eventually to Goodwood the Young Wine Show became the show piece of the quality of the new made wines every year. The awards lunch preceded by the tasting of all the Gold medal and Trophy wines, was the highlight on the wine calendar in those years and this major wine event at the Goodwood Show Grounds will fondly be remembered as an all-day affair. Not only participants joined here, but the judges played an enormous role to give feedback and to train the young judges to take over in years to come.

The Cape of Good Hope Agricultural Society, – which changed its marketing brand name to Agri-Expo in 1996 – has over the years been actively involved with the SA Young Wine Show as owner of this remarkable wine show and maintains its involvement as a patron until this very day, In the process, Agri-Expo has entrusted the SANWSA as organisers with the most impressive collection of gold and silver trophies which are annually handed to the winners.

The competition’s two most coveted trophies Genl Smuts (inaugurated in 1952) and Pietman Hugo (since 1994) – respectively for the overall champion young wine and the highest score for five best entries – were named after giants in South Africa’s history. General Jan Smuts piloted the creation of the KWV through Parliament during his reign as Prime Minister, and Pietman Hugo, is a former chairman of KWV.

When the Young Wine Show turned 180 years, Wineland magazine published this comprehensive article on the history and present status of the Show.