US Press Clipping: SA Chenin Blanc's praises sung in New York Times

Friday, 9 March, 2007
WineNews Editorial Team

In an article entitled 'South Africa's Trove of an Elusive Grape' published in the New York Times this week, Eric Asimov and a high-profile group of trade professionals and sommeliers conclude, '...South Africa today is teeming with good chenin blancs, wines of freshness and character with prices that make them exceptional value'.

Mr Asimov writes, The hope is that chenin blanc will continue to be part of the South African wine equation. It was the dominant grape in an era characterized by bad wines, and it may only be natural for the industry to equate improvement with different grapes rather than with making better chenin blancs.

Though it is still widely planted, the proportion of chenin blanc is steadily going down as growers turn to chardonnay and sauvignon blanc, to say nothing of cabernet sauvignon, merlot and syrah. It’s possible that chenin blanc will one day become an afterthought in South Africa. Now that would indeed be a disaster.
 
Raats Family Wines features twice in Asimov's Top Ten, ranking in 1st and 10th position with the Raats Original 2005 and the Raats Family Wines Chenin Blanc 2005 respectively. Fleur du Cap's 2005 wooded Chenin Blanc was awarded the 2nd spot, followed by Pecan Stream 2005, Indaba 2005 (Best Value), Spier and Vinum. Also recommended are the Cederberg 2005 and the Rudera 2005.

Click here for the article (be sure to view the interactive feature for some insightful American perspectives on the Chenin Blanc tasting in audio and beautiful images of South Africa's winelands in general - seems like a PR coup!).

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