A wine and craft beer competition judged solely by a panel of South Africa’s top sommeliers, using the same categories as for judging a wine list, has been unveiled.

Named The Sommeliers Selection, the award aims to educate members of the public and guide them in buying exciting, different and new wines and craft beers.

Consumers will easily recognise the awarded wines by their customised "fun and funky" bottle seals/stickers as well as eye-catching point-of-sale posters designed to encourage consumers to try the wines.

The Sommeliers Selection results will be marketed to restaurants countrywide, and to the wine buying public and wine industry.

The competition judges are Higgo Jacobs, Neil Grant, David Clarke, Jörg Pfützner and Joachim Blackadder, all members of the South African Sommeliers Association (SASA) and highly qualified, internationally recognised sommeliers.

Categories to be judged are the same as those for a wine list (with a craft beer category also included). The results will be published in the form of an ideal wine list for a good restaurant, allowing the awarded wines to form the basis for new restaurant wine lists around the country.

Entries open on 1 March 2015, and judging takes place from 4 to 6 June 2015. The awards ceremony takes place on 19 June 2015. The competition is organised by DnA Event Management in association with SASA, Spiegelau and Twelve Apostles Hotel & Spa.

The public are also invited to get involved by means of the social media campaign on Twitter and Facebook.

For more information on the competition click here.