Our Wines:

Chenin's greatest asset, but perhaps also it's greatest problem has been its versatility, which has led to its becoming the workhouse of the South African wine industry. In contrast, in its home on the Loire in France, it is regarded as a noble variety. Approximately a quarter of the national vineyard consists of Chenin Blanc, making it by far the most widely planted variety, including some of the country's finest old vines. To date, it has been used to make everything from vast quantities of sparkling wine to stein, blanc de blanc and sherries, jerepigos, and even brandy. Missing from this list was a serious, dry, unwooded varietal wine.

It was the lack of focus on Chenin that spurred the Old Vines team to start the Old Vines Cellars in 1995 with the aim of making Chenin Blanc the white flagbearer of South Africa. The impact has been tremendous. There are now more wineries paying attention to Chenin, some even introducing ranges...something that has not been done in the past.