The Glenelly Glass Collection Merlot 2022, a 100% Merlot from the Simonsberg slopes in Stellenbosch, has been named one of the Top 10 Merlots in South Africa at the 2026 Taransaud Merlot Top 10 Competition. The wine scored 90 points from James Suckling, received four stars from Platter’s Wine Guide, and is available now from glenellyestate.com at R215 per bottle.
This one means something to us. The Taransaud Merlot Top 10 has built a reputation for getting it right.
Now in its fifth year, the Taransaud Merlot Top 10 has become one of the most credible showcases for South African Merlot. It isn’t a large-scale event. It’s intentionally intimate, story-driven, and focused entirely on the quality of what’s in the glass. Panel Chair Renier van Deventer noted that producers are increasingly drawn to exactly that kind of environment, particularly as the industry navigates tougher economic conditions.
South African Merlot in 2026: What the Judges Found
South Africa now has over 5,300 hectares of Merlot planted, up from just 81 hectares in 1982, and contributes around five percent of global Merlot plantings.
Renier van Deventer, Panel Chair of the 2026 competition, observed a clear stylistic evolution across this year’s entries. Wines are becoming more focused, showing purity, brightness and clean fruit expression. Oak is increasingly well-integrated and refined. The category is moving decisively away from the green, herbaceous notes that once defined South African Merlot. Younger vintages, the 2024s and 2025s in particular, are showing real energy and refinement. The 2022s and 2023s are displaying the kind of polish and elegance that comes from a little time in the bottle.
Glenelly Glass Collection Merlot 2022: Simonsberg Terroir in the Glass
The Glass Collection Merlot is an honest expression of Glenelly’s Simonsberg terroir, grown on the southeastern slopes of the mountain in Stellenbosch. The 2022 vintage shows dark fruit, cherry and chocolate with a hint of spiced plum, concentrated and generous on the palate with well-structured tannins.
The stylistic direction Renier described, “purity, brightness, balanced oak”, is one Cellarmaster Dirk van Zyl and assistant winemaker Lehandri Bothma have been working towards at Glenelly for some time. It’s good to see the wider category moving the same way.
Merlot SA Chair Matthew Copeland summed up the spirit of the competition well: “Merlot is the wine of the people. This competition is about elevating the varietal while keeping the experience warm, personal and connected.”
Try It for Yourself
The Glass Collection Merlot 2022 is available now at glenellyestate.com. If you’d like to try it alongside the legendary 2017 vintage, available through the Glenelly Vinotheque, it’s a rewarding comparison.
Shop the Glass Collection Merlot on glenellyestate.com
Frequently Asked Questions
The Taransaud Merlot Top 10 is an annual South African wine competition now in its fifth year, focused exclusively on Merlot. It is judged by an independent panel and recognised as one of the most credible varietal competitions in the country. The 2026 competition was held on 18 June at Klein Alto in Stellenbosch.
The Glenelly Glass Collection Merlot is a 100% Merlot produced at Glenelly Estate on the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch, South Africa. It is part of the Glass Collection range, named after founder Madame May-Eliane de Lencquesaing’s lifelong passion for glass art. The 2022 vintage was named in the Merlot SA Top 10 and scored 90 points from James Suckling and four stars from Platter’s Wine Guide.
The Glenelly Glass Collection Merlot 2022 is available directly from Glenelly Estate at glenellyestate.com or by contacting the estate at tasting@glenelly.co.za or +27 (0)21 809 6440.
The 2022 shows dark fruit, cherry and chocolate on the nose with hints of spiced plum. The palate is concentrated and generous with well-structured tannins and good length. It is drinking well now and will continue to develop over the next several years.
The 2017 was a warm, dry vintage that produced smaller, more concentrated berries. The result is a richer, more complex wine with eight years of bottle age adding depth and a layered quality. 2022 is still developing. 2022 is fresher and more immediate. Tried side by side, they show exactly what time does to a well-made Merlot. The 2017 is available through the Glenelly Vinotheque.
Glenelly Estate is a fine wine producer located in Ida’s Valley on the Simonsberg in Stellenbosch, South Africa. It was founded in 2003 by Madame May-Eliane de Lencquesaing, former proprietor of Château Pichon Longueville Comtesse de Lalande in Bordeaux. The estate produces a range of wines from Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Syrah and Chardonnay, with the flagship Lady May Cabernet Sauvignon blend at the top of the range. Glenelly Estate also houses one of the largest privately owned glass art collections in the world.
