As described in an earlier post on this blog, chenin blanc is the most planted and most versatile grape in South Africa and the wines range in price from super economical everyday wines priced at about R30.00 ($4) to R260.00 ($36) for the more elegant chenin styles.

Listed here are the four and five star winners. For the complete awards list, please visit Wine Mag.

Best Value Chenin Blanc

Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Bush Vines 2009

Best Unwooded Chenin Blanc

Simonsig 2007

Best Wooded Chenin Blanc

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2008

Best Chenin Blanc Overall

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2008

Five star awards

Kleine Zalze Vineyard Selection 2008

Four and a half star awards

Kanu KCB 2006

Graham Beck Bowed Head 2008

Simonsig Chenin Avec Chene 2008

Four star awards

Forest Hill, Fort Simon 2008

Fort Simon 2008

Simonsig Woolworths Limited Release Chenin 2008

Stellenrust 44 2008

Spier Private Collection 2008

Land of Hope 2008, The Winery of Good Hope

The FMC Forrester Meinert Chenin 2007

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According to Decanter.com, Vergelegen, voted Best South African Winery for 5 years running by Wine magazine readers, has suffered at least 1 million pounds of damage from bush fires which ravaged the estate’s property in February and March, destroying 11ha of its 150 ha of vines. These included a parcel of virus-free quality clones developed to improve vine material in South Africa.

Winemaker, Andre van Rensburg, called the loss of this vine improvement scheme a “borderline disaster. We have been selected to develop virus-free vines to supply cuttings to the industry and this will set the programme back at least six years. Clones of that quality are not readily available in South Africa.” Van Rensburg also discarded one-quarter of the 2009 red crop as a precaution against smoke taint. Volumes will be reduced by as much as 4,000 cases.

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