The same sentiments were shared by Bruwer Raats who stated that, "Chenin blanc has evolved from its workhorse roots in South Africa after proper care and respect were shown to it, to now relish in thoroughbred status". Ken and Bruwer are two of South Africa's top Chenin blanc producers and each of them has contributed to the new, more dignified and respected position that this cultivar now enjoys. But, as many South African wine enthusiasts know, this was not always the case. For many years Chenin blanc struggled to find its place in the wine industry as it was never seen to be a prestigious cultivar and was (under the Afrikaans name Steen) used predominantly in blends and in the production of brandy. This "workhorse" with its diversity of flavours and uses fought its way to recognition. As part of our new Spotlight campaign, wine.co.za decided to interview eight wine personnel from wine estates where Chenin blanc enjoys a place on the shelf. The eight farms that were chosen to take part in our campaign were; Jordan, Simonsig Estate, Raats Family Wines, Ken Forrester Wines, Villiera, Ridgeback Wines, Graham Beck Wines and Raka Wines. Each of the participants brought along a Chenin blanc wine that they wished to promote and we took a series of videos for our Spotlight campaign that can be viewed on the site under our videos list. The wines that will be featured this month on the site are: Graham Beck's The Game Reserve Chenin Blanc 2010 Jordan's Chenin Blanc Barrel Fermented 2011 Ken Forrester's Petit Chenin Blanc 2011 Raats Original Chenin Blanc 2011 Raka's Chenin Blanc 2010 Ridgeback's Chenin Blanc 2010 Simonsig's Chenin Blanc 2011 Villiera's Traditional Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2010 Be sure to keep an eye out for the videos to be posted this month and some interesting articles relating to Chenin blanc. The videos include a brief history of the wine, the wine's production history and one or two food pairing ideas.