13/06/2026
Long ignored by our growers (and our wine writers) Chenin - locally referred to as “steen” - was the work-horse grape of the Cape wine industry for most of the 20th century. No one even mentioned it by name - it was the unspoken, unnamed base in most South African blended wines (and the fruit source for our once vast brandy industry) from the 1960s until its renaissance a little over 25 years ago.
Now Chenin is widely regarded as the nation’s vinous calling card, a splendid noble cultivar more widely planted in South Africa than anywhere else in the world, and yielding wines of great finesse and versatility.
Amongst the best of our recently tasted examples are:
2022 City on a Hill Old Vine Chenin Blanc (95 Points)
2023 Paulus Wine Co. Bartàs Chenin Blanc (92 Points)
2022 Fuselage Staggerwing Old Vines Chenin Blanc (92 Points)
2024 Marras Vixen Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc (91 Points)
2024 Perdeberg Wines G.O.A.T Old Vine Chenin Blanc (91 Points)
2024 Muratie Laurens Campher Chenin Blanc (90 Points)
