Looking for some tips for your weekend tipple? The results of the FNB Top 10 Sauvignon Blanc Competition were announced yesterday. The judging panel comprised wine writer Christan Eedes; Tsogo Sun sommelier Miguel Chan; Richard Kershaw MW of Richard Kershaw Wines; Mark Norrish, the GM of Ultra Liquors’s wine division; and Erika Obermeyer of Graham Beck Wines. They whittled down the 195 entrants to a shortlist of 20, before picking the final ten.

The 2012 winners (in alphabetical order) are:

• Clos Malverne 2011
• De Morgenzon DMZ 2012
• Diemersdal MM Louw 2011 (wooded)
• Driehoek 2012
• Du Toitskloof 2012
• Groote Post 2012
• Lomond Pincushion 2011
• Neethlingshof Single Vineyard 2012
• Simonsig Sunbird 2012
• Virgin Earth Pepper Tree 2012

These leaders hail from a diverse range of areas, including Cape Agulhas, Breedekloof, Cederberg, Darling, Durbanville, Elgin, Langeberg-Garcia and Stellenbosch, and demonstrated a broad range of styles, said panel chair Christian Eedes.

The competition, initiated by the Sauvignon Blanc Interest Group of South Africa (SBIG) and sponsored by FNB, celebrates the varietal that has grown in popularity in recent years.

The Wade Bales Wine Society will be selling a pack containing one bottle of each of the winning wines, thereby giving consumers an opportunity to taste them all.

Love sauvignon blanc? Earlier this year we asked five top local sommeliers for their picks of the varietal. Here are their favourites.