Clairette Blanche: South Africa's forgotten white grape

Some grapes demand attention. Sauvignon Blanc does it with sheer freshness, Chardonnay by being everywhere. Clairette Blanche does not, and for several decades almost nobody was listening.

The variety has been growing in South African soil since the Dutch settlers arrived in the 17th century, possibly earlier. Until recently it lived on the margins: old vines in forgotten corners of vineyards, mostly headed for the brandy still or a bulk blend. Fashion moved on and left it behind.

That is changing as Cape winemakers go back through their own viticultural history. For anyone in the UK looking for something genuinely unfamiliar, it is worth knowing about.

Where it came from

The origins are not settled. One account has it arriving with French Huguenot settlers in the late 1600s, carried as cuttings from home. Another suggests it emerged from natural cross-pollination in those early plantings, possibly between Clairette Rose and Muscat varieties.

What is clear is that by the middle of the 18th century it was well established in the Western Cape. It suited the Mediterranean climate, especially on slopes with good drainage and plenty of sun. Its naturally high acidity made it useful for sparkling wine and as a blending component, though hardly anyone made a point of bottling it on its own.

For generations it was part of the furniture: reliable, hardworking, and never the point. The wine equivalent of a character actor who is in everything and named in nothing.

What it tastes like

The revival is not nostalgia. It is about flavour, and this grape has more personality than its history suggests.

Expect bright citrus, lemon zest and grapefruit, set against stone fruit such as white peach and apricot. There is usually a floral lift somewhere, closer to elderflower or acacia blossom than anything heavier. What separates it from other whites is a mineral spine and a faintly herbal quality that adds interest without crowding the fruit.

The texture is medium-bodied with acidity lively enough to make your mouth water. Refreshing without being austere, substantial without being heavy, which is why it turns out to be so good with food.

Bruce Jack Off The Charts Clairette Blanc at £15.29 comes from the Swartland and is the easier of the two to find a use for. Daschbosch Avon Clairette Blanche at £25 is the more serious bottle, and worth it if you want to understand what the grape can do when someone takes it entirely seriously.

In the vineyard

Clairette Blanche is fairly easy to grow. It buds late, which helps it dodge spring frosts, and it ripens steadily without the sudden sugar spikes that unbalance other varieties.

The skins are thick, which protects against disease. They also mean the fruit needs careful handling, because rough treatment pulls bitter compounds into the wine.

The revival

Things began to turn in the 1990s, when a new generation of South African winemakers started questioning why the industry was so fixated on international varieties. Planting more Chardonnay makes less sense when something unusual is already growing in your own soil.

The pioneers isolated their best Clairette Blanche vines and treated the fruit with the respect normally reserved for Chenin Blanc or Sauvignon Blanc. Handled that way, it turned out to make wine of real quality.

You now find it bottled as a single variety by producers who want its personality on show, and used in blends where its acidity and minerality provide structure. It is also finding a role in sparkling wine, where the natural acidity is exactly what you want.

Why it is worth trying

In a market dominated by roughly a dozen grapes, this is something else. Not a marketing invention, but a piece of working wine history that survived because nobody got round to pulling the vines out.

It suits how people eat here. The acidity cuts through richer dishes while the fruit flatters lighter ones. Grilled fish and roast chicken are the obvious matches, but it also handles asparagus and artichoke, which defeat most white wines.

Clairette Blanche is likely to stay a niche pleasure rather than flood the shelves, and that is much of the appeal. If you want to explore further in the same direction, our South African white wines range has a good number of less obvious bottles, and the white wine case at £69 is a reasonable way to try several at once. Delivered anywhere in the UK.