SA Chenin Blancs lead world
Friday, 10 February, 2006
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South Africa leads the world in making top-class Chenin Blanc wines according to top US magazine The Wine Enthusiast. In its Top 100 Best Buys of wines from around the world published in December, Cape wines, especially Chenin Blancs, scored top marks.
The Wine Enthusiast ranked the maiden vintage of The Winery of Good Hope 2005 Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) at No 6 on its list of the 100 Best Buys of 2005. The wine scored 91 points out of 100. Four other SA wines, three of them Chenin Blancs, also made the Top 100.
“The Winery of Good Hope 2005 Chenin Blanc is the only South African wine to make the top 10 of this influential list and, indeed, I have been told, it is the first time a South African wine has ever made the top 10,” says Alex Dale, founder of Stellenbosch-based producers, The Winery.
“It also proves that winning wines do not have to be expensive. This wine retails locally at less than R40, underlining the best value status conferred on it by the magazine.”
Two other South African Chenin Blancs were rated highly by the magazine – Ken Forrester 2004 Petit Chenin (Stellenbosch) at No 15 (90 points) and Kanu 2004 Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) at No 25 (90 points). The only non South African Chenin Blanc to make the top 100 was Dry Creek Vineyard from California at No 90.
The other two South African wines to make the top 100 were the Boschendal 2004 Grand Cuvée Sauvignon Blanc (Franschhoek) at No 46 (90 points) and the KWV 2005 Steen (Western Cape) was ranked at 69 (86 points). The latter Chenin Blanc is marketed as a Steen in the US on the advice of KWV’s importers.
“Making The Wine Enthusiast's Top 100 Best Buys is a phenomenal achievement for South African winemakers, particularly as SA makes up less than 1% of wines imported to the US,” Dale adds.
“I believe this shows that SA leads the world in making – and selling - top-class Chenin Blancs. Increasingly few French (Loire) Chenin Blancs are visible internationally and most countries ignore the varietal, so South African winemakers have a unique opportunity to be world leaders.”
The Wine Enthusiast’s Top 100 Best Buys is widely regarded as a defining annual list of the best in the competitive and brutal world of wine.
Dale says that for The Winery to be identified among the top six producers is “especially rewarding, particularly as we took the risk some years ago to become a Chenin Blanc specialist when everyone else was ripping up their vines and planting trendy red varieties instead”.
In all The Wine Enthusiast ranked 800 best buys in wines from around the world in its December issue. This followed an extensive focus on South African Chenin Blancs in its November issue after an extensive tour of the Cape winelands by its editor.
In that issue the magazine’s ratings placed The Winery as South Africa’s overall top Chenin Blanc producer. The Winery of Good Hope Chenin Blanc 2005 came overall top in the unwooded recommendations. In the wooded section, Black Rock 2004 Chenin-dominated white blend ranked 2nd equal highest score, also in its maiden vintage.
Both these wines scored 91 points and placed The Winery as the only South African producer with wines at the top of both categories. The Winery’s Vinum Chenin Blanc also scored 89 points. Altogether, these three wines averaged more than 90 points, making The Winery the overall highest-scoring SA Chenin Blanc producer.
“Only a year ago we were told to give up with Chenin Blanc in the US market as it, historically, had such a poor image there. Being the optimists we are, we took this as a challenge and an opportunity rather than as a closed door. Having being ranked overall top SA Chenin Blanc producer in this first comprehensive review, we believe that our rewards will have been worth all the effort. Indeed, significant new business has already rolled-in subsequent to this feature”.
The magazine’s review of the The Winery of Good Hope 2005 Chenin Blanc said it was ‘a delicious example of dry Chenin Blanc. With black currant aromas and a full, fruity palate, this is big, rich and concentrated, with flavours of pears, white currants and a touch of mint to give fruit lift. This is a fine wine.”
SA Wine Industry Statistics show that Chenin Blanc is the largest varietal white wine export, with 32,9 million litres being sold in 2004 – up about 4 million litres on the previous year.