William Robertson Chenin Blanc
£10.99
£14.65 per litre · incl. 20% VAT
In Stock — 4 bottles available
Sunshine in a glass from the Robertson Valley. This is everyday South African Chenin Blanc done properly, pineapple, melon and crisp green apple, all held together by a bright, lifting acidity. An easy, generous white that punches well above its price tag and disappears far too quickly on a warm evening.
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Our Verdict
We listed the William Robertson because it answers a question we get all the time: what's a properly good South African white that won't break the bank? Honest answer, this one. There's nothing showy about it, and that's the point. It's clean, generous, fruit-forward Chenin with enough acidity to keep things interesting, made by a winery that's been quietly getting it right since 1941. We pour it at home on Tuesday evenings, take it to friends' barbecues, and recommend it to anyone curious about South African white wine but not ready to spend £20 to find out.
Tasting Notes
Pour this and you get a pale straw colour with green glints. The nose lifts with fresh florals and a generous wave of pineapple, ripe melon and crisp green apple. On the palate, that orchard and tropical fruit carries through with rounded, juicy weight, kept honest by a firm spine of fresh acidity. The finish is clean and refreshing, uncomplicated in the best way, leaving the mouth ready for the next sip.
Sun-ripe pineapple
Juicy tropical fruit sits at the heart of the wine, giving it that ripe, sun-soaked Robertson Valley character without tipping into sweetness.
Crisp green apple
A clean, orchard-fresh streak runs through the palate, lifting the riper fruit and keeping every sip bright and moreish.
Honeydew melon
Soft, rounded melon notes give the wine its generous mid-palate weight, fleshy fruit without any heaviness or oily texture.
About This Wine
Here's the thing about South African Chenin Blanc, when it's made with care, even the everyday bottles can stop you in your tracks. The William Robertson is exactly that kind of wine: unfussy, properly made, and packed with the kind of ripe, sunlit fruit that reminds you why the Cape grows more Chenin than anywhere else on earth.
Pour a glass and you'll find pale straw in the bowl and a fresh floral lift on the nose. The palate is where it really delivers, pineapple and ripe melon up front, a flash of green apple keeping things crisp, and a clean, mouth-watering acidity that wipes the slate clean for the next sip. There's a roundness to it that makes it generous rather than austere, which is exactly what you want from a midweek white.
The Robertson Valley sits inland along the Breede River, tucked between the Langeberg and Riviersonderend mountains, with limestone-rich soils that are unusual in South Africa and brilliant for white wines. Warm days ripen the fruit beautifully; cool afternoon breezes off the valley keep the acidity intact. The result is Chenin with both flesh and freshness.
Reach for this with anything off the grill on a sunny afternoon, alongside roast chicken with lemon and herbs, or with a plate of smoked salmon and brown bread. It's brilliant with Thai green curry too. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK, it's the sort of bottle you'll want to keep a few of in the fridge.
Food Pairing
This is a brilliant table wine, fresh enough for fish, rounded enough for richer dishes. Pour it with a plate of smoked salmon and brown bread, a Friday-night fishcake supper, or a simple roast chicken with lemon and thyme. It also handles a pork loin beautifully, and works as a crowd-pleasing aperitif before a summer lunch in the garden.
- —Smoked salmon on rye with capers and dill
- —Roast chicken with lemon, garlic and thyme
- —Pan-fried sea bass with crushed new potatoes
- —Slow-roasted pork loin with apple sauce
- —Thai green chicken curry
How to Serve
Temperature
Properly chilled, around 8-10°C. A couple of hours in the fridge, or twenty minutes in an ice bucket.
Decanting
No decanting needed. This is a fresh, fruit-driven white that's at its best straight from the bottle, opening it up too much risks losing the lifted floral aromatics and bright acidity.
Glass
A standard white wine glass with a slightly tapered rim, enough room for the florals, focused enough to channel the fruit.
Ageing & Cellaring
Made for drinking now while the fruit is at its most vibrant. This is an unoaked, fresh-style Chenin built for early enjoyment, there's no real benefit to cellaring. Buy it, chill it, drink it within a year or two of release.
The Land
Limestone running through the Robertson Valley soils is the quiet hero here, uncommon in South Africa, and the reason this Chenin carries such freshness. Mountain-slope and river-valley vineyards each bring something different: structure and lift from above, ripe generosity from below. Together they shape a wine with tropical fruit weight and a clean, mineral-edged finish.
The Winemaking
Made in a fresh, unwooded style that lets the fruit do the talking. Gentle pressing keeps the juice clean and free of harsh phenolics, preserving the natural floral lift and bright tropical character of Chenin Blanc. Cool fermentation locks in those pineapple and green apple aromatics, while the absence of oak means nothing gets in the way of that crunchy acidity. The result is a wine that feels light on its feet, pure fruit, balanced freshness, ready to drink the moment you pull the cork.
About the Producer
Robertson Winery
Robertson Winery has roots that reach back to 1941, when a group of local growers took over a disused stone missionary church on the edge of town and turned it into a cellar. That little church still anchors the operation today, a reminder that this is a winery built by community rather than corporate ambition. The William Robertson range nods to the man the town itself is named after, a Scottish minister who arrived at the Cape in 1822 and gave his name to one of South Africa's most productive valleys. Decades on, Robertson works with grower families whose relationships with the cellar stretch back generations, picking from mountain slopes and river-valley vineyards alike to make wines that punch well above their price.