South African Chenin Blanc: from Steen to superstar

South African Chenin Blanc, known locally as Steen, accounts for close to a fifth of the country's vineyards. Until fairly recently almost all of it vanished into anonymous blends or went off to be distilled into brandy. That is no longer where the interesting bottles end up.

What has changed is attention. The same vineyards are now being farmed and vinified as though the fruit matters, and the results compare to white Burgundy at a fraction of the money. When UK customers taste a properly made Cape Chenin for the first time, the question is usually the same one: where has this been hiding?

The answer is old bush vines, scattered across the Western Cape, some of them more than a century old, with roots deep enough to find water and minerals that young vines never reach.

From the Loire to the Cape

Chenin Blanc arrived in South Africa with French Huguenot settlers in 1688, who brought vine cuttings from the Loire Valley when they fled religious persecution. They planted it widely, partly because it grew reliably in the Cape's Mediterranean climate and partly because they had little else to plant.

For the next three centuries it was a workhorse. Locals called it Steen, made everyday wine and very good brandy from it, and relied on it to survive droughts that killed more fashionable varieties. Only in the past twenty years or so did the industry work out what it was sitting on: the largest collection of old-vine Chenin Blanc anywhere in the world.

South Africa now has more Chenin planted than France does. The growing conditions are also completely different. Loire producers fight cool, unreliable weather. Cape producers get warm days, cool nights, and vines old enough to self-regulate their yields.

What it tastes like

Loire Chenin can be austere and mineral-driven. The South African style is riper, with the acidity still there to hold it together. Expect stone fruit, peach and apricot mostly, often with a honeyed richness that stops short of actual sweetness.

The better bottles get more complicated: citrus zest, white flowers, sometimes a little spice where oak has been used. What really separates them is texture, a creamy and almost waxy weight in the mouth that comes from old vines and unhurried winemaking. DMZ Chenin Blanc at £13.49 is a good place to meet that texture without spending much.

Young examples drink fresh and work as easily on a summer afternoon as at a dinner party. What surprises people is how well the serious ones age. Give a good Chenin five years and it picks up honey, nuts and a truffle-like earthiness while the fresh core stays intact.

Where it grows

The Swartland, the black land, is where the most exciting Cape Chenin is made. This hot, dry region north of Cape Town was long considered too harsh for fine wine, and is now home to some of the most compelling whites in the world.

Swartland Chenin runs fuller and more textured, with a mineral note that reflects granite and slate soils. There is power here, but the good ones have finesse alongside it. Marras Los Tros Chenin Blanc at £13.79 and Bruce Jack Off The Charts Chenin Blanc at £14.99 both show it clearly. The Den Chenin Blanc at £12.39 is the everyday version of the same idea.

Stellenbosch gives more elegance and structure. Cooler mountain slopes mean brighter acidity and more floral character, and the oak tends to be better integrated. These are the wines that age for decades rather than years.

Paarl and the Franschhoek valley make both dry and sweet styles. Some of South Africa's finest dessert wines come from here, made from botrytis-affected grapes concentrated into something that stands comparison with Coteaux du Layon. Cooler pockets around Wellington and Tulbagh are less talked about and produce Chenin with striking minerality and real freshness, usually at prices that reflect the lack of fame rather than the quality.

The styles worth knowing

Entry-level Chenin is bright and clean, built around citrus and green apple with a touch of tropical fruit. It is the wine for a weeknight, and it is very good with fish and chips or a plain roast chicken. Wild Garden Chenin Blanc at £9.79 and Aloe Tree Chenin Blanc at £9.69 both do this job for under a tenner.

Oak-aged Chenin is a different proposition. Time in French barrels brings vanilla and spice alongside the fruit and thickens the texture, which makes it a match for richer cooking such as lobster or roast pork. Camino Africana Chenin Blanc at £22 is the one to try if you want to understand what oak does to this grape.

Old-vine bottlings are Chenin at its most concentrated, usually made in small quantities from vines old enough to have names. Piekenierskloof Old Vine Bergandel Chenin Blanc at £25 is exactly that wine, and it rewards keeping.

Sweet Chenin from botrytised fruit gives apricot, honey and orange peel with enough acidity to stay lively rather than cloying. Vergelegen Semillon Straw Wine at £14.49 blends Chenin with Semillon and is superb with blue cheese.

There is even Chenin in the sparkling category. Darling Cellars Cap Classique Nectar at £13.49 is a Chenin-based fizz and a genuinely cheap way into Cap Classique.

What to eat with it

The acidity cuts through richness and the fruit flatters both seafood and poultry, which is why this grape ends up on so many restaurant lists.

Crisp styles go with grilled sole or salmon. Oak-aged ones handle lobster and crab cakes. Roast chicken finds its match in something medium-bodied with a touch of oak, and pork in almost any form is a natural partner, from a simple chop to slow-roasted belly.

Chenin also handles moderate spice better than most whites, so a Thai green curry or an Indian korma is well within range. For cheese, soft and creamy is the safe bet, Camembert or a young goat cheese, though an older Chenin will stand up to mature Cheddar.

Buying it

Start with a fresh, unoaked bottle to learn the shape of the grape, then move to oak-aged and old-vine versions once you know what you like. Do not skip the sweet wines, which are among the best value dessert wines being made anywhere.

Labels mentioning bush vines or old vines usually signal more serious intent. Alcohol between 13.5% and 14.5% tends to indicate a balanced, food-friendly wine rather than something built for impact.

Our full South African Chenin Blanc range covers everything from the under-£10 end to the old-vine bottles, and sits alongside the rest of our South African white wines. If you would rather taste widely before choosing a favourite, the South African white wine case at £69 does that in one delivery, anywhere in the UK.