Alvi's Drift Chenin Blanc 221
£15.49
£20.65 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
Only 2 bottles left
Double Gold (2020)Top 10 Winner (2022)Double Gold
Tropical fruit, nectarine and a whisper of blossom honey, this is Chenin Blanc doing what South Africa does best. Bright, creamy and finished with a flick of lemon zest, it's the kind of midweek white that makes a Tuesday feel a bit more special. Brilliant value, beautifully made, and ready for your table.
Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.
Our Verdict
We've tasted a lot of sub-£20 South African Chenin over the years, and the 221 keeps earning its spot on our list. The Veritas and Michelangelo Double Golds tell part of the story, but what really sells us is the texture, that lees-driven creaminess giving the wine a generosity you'd expect from something twice the price. It's our go-to recommendation for anyone new to South African Chenin Blanc, and a customer favourite for easy midweek drinking. If you want a benchmark for what the Cape does effortlessly well, start here.
Tasting Notes
Lifted aromas of pineapple, ripe nectarine and blossom honey set the tone, with a soft thread of vanilla in the background. The palate is creamy and generous, stone fruit and a touch of orchard pear ride a smooth, lees-built texture, but bright acidity keeps everything taut and focused. The finish is long and lemony, leaving the mouth feeling clean rather than weighty. A Chenin that delivers richness and freshness in equal measure.
Tropical Stone Fruit
Ripe nectarine and pineapple lead the nose, fleshing out the palate with sun-ripened generosity without ever tipping into heaviness.
Blossom Honey
A delicate honeyed note adds richness and roundness mid-palate, hinting at ripeness without any residual sweetness.
Creamy Lees Texture
Months on the lees deliver a soft, mouth-coating creaminess that gives the wine real body and a satisfying weight.
About This Wine
Here's a wine that proves you don't need to spend a fortune to drink seriously well. The 221 Chenin Blanc from Alvi's Drift is the bottle we reach for when we want something bright and generous without overthinking it, and it's been quietly winning over UK drinkers since we first listed it.
Expect a lifted nose of tropical fruit and nectarine, with a touch of blossom honey and the faintest vanilla warmth in the background. The palate is where it really earns its keep: creamy, plush, full of yellow stone fruit, then pulled into focus by a streak of fresh acidity and a long, lemony finish. Only premium free-run juice goes into the bottle, cold-fermented and left on lees for several months, which is exactly why it has that lovely weight without losing freshness.
The vineyards sit in the Scherpenheuwel ward of the Breede River Valley, a cooler pocket of the Western Cape where warm days and cool, river-cooled nights give Chenin the ripeness and tension it needs. Hand-harvested in the early morning, naturally composted soils, proper farming behind a very fair price tag.
Pour it with lightly grilled white fish, calamari, prawns in garlic, or a simple roast chicken on a Sunday. Equally happy with a fragrant Thai green curry. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, and a lovely send-off for a Cape-born friend who misses a decent Chenin.
Food Pairing
The creamy texture and citrus snap make this a natural with seafood and light poultry. Think pan-fried sea bass with lemon and capers, salt-and-pepper calamari, or a Sunday roast chicken with thyme and garlic. It's also brilliant with a fragrant Thai green curry, the honeyed fruit handles gentle spice beautifully, while the acidity refreshes between mouthfuls.
- —Pan-fried sea bass with lemon and capers
- —Salt-and-pepper calamari
- —Roast chicken with thyme and garlic
- —Mussels in a creamy white wine and garlic sauce
- —Thai green curry with prawns
How to Serve
Temperature
Lightly chilled, not ice-cold. Around 30-40 minutes in the fridge, or 15 minutes in an ice bucket.
Decanting
No need to decant. If the wine feels tight straight from the bottle, give it ten minutes in the glass, the tropical fruit and honey notes open up quickly with a little air.
Glass
A medium-sized white wine glass with a slightly tapered rim concentrates the lifted aromatics beautifully.
Cellaring
Store on its side in a cool, dark spot below 14°C. Best enjoyed within three years of purchase, while the fruit is still fresh and lively.
Ageing & Cellaring
Built for early enjoyment, this drinks beautifully on release. The lees work and bright acid backbone give it enough structure to evolve in bottle for up to three years, with the honeyed notes deepening and the tropical fruit softening into something more apricot-toned.
The Land
The vineyards spread across a patchwork of soils on the banks of the Breede River, with the river itself moderating temperatures and feeding the vines through the driest months. Selective hand-harvesting in the cool early hours preserves the natural acidity, and on-farm compost keeps the soils alive, quiet, careful work that you taste in the freshness of the finish.
The Winemaking
Only the premium free-run juice makes it into this wine, the gentlest, cleanest fraction that flows before any pressing begins. A slow, cool fermentation locks in the aromatics, and the wine then rests on its lees for several months, building that creamy weight across the middle of the palate without ever masking the fruit. It stays out of oak entirely, which keeps the focus where Alvi's Drift want it: bright, expressive Chenin Blanc with the texture turned up just enough to feel generous.
The Western Cape Region
Le Domaine draws its fruit from vineyards scattered across the Western Cape, from coastal sites cooled by Atlantic breezes to warmer inland slopes, all planted between 50 and 300 metres above sea level. This broad sourcing is deliberate. By blending components from different microclimates, the cellar builds a consistent house style that balances the crisp acidity of cooler sites with the ripe generosity of warmer ones. It's the Western Cape's extraordinary diversity captured in a single glass.