Many wine-producing countries have a grape that has become central to their identity. For South Africa, Chenin Blanc is its signature white variety, and at the 2026 Decanter World Wine Awards (DWWA), it emerged as one of the shining stars for the rainbow nation.
It was not always this way. Like the country itself, South African Chenin Blanc has been through quite a revolution over the past three decades. Known locally for years as Steen, the grape was treated as a dependable workhorse: high-yielding, hardy and destined mostly for brandy, bulk wine, semi-sweet blends and inexpensive dry whites. South Africa, it turned out, had become the grape's adopted superpower, growing more Chenin Blanc than anywhere else on earth.
There is an irony in that. Chenin Blanc's ancestral home is France's Loire Valley, where it makes some of the world's most ageworthy and revered white wines, from the honeyed sweet wines of Vouvray to the steely dry whites of Savennières. Yet in South Africa, the grape was long valued for what it could produce in volume rather than for what it could express.
That began to change as a new generation of producers looked again at what they had, recognising that these low-yielding old vines, many over 35 years old, were capable of remarkable things. By farming them for quality rather than quantity and working site by site, winemakers began to reveal a grape of real depth and character.
Among those who drove the change is Johan Jordaan, cellarmaster at Spier, who in February was named Chenin Blanc Master Winemaker for the second consecutive year at the Master Winemaker 100 awards in Paris. For him, the transformation has been a collective effort, grounded in better farming.
"Our focus is key to the success of the varietal and the category as a whole. The wines have improved over the years due to a focus on regenerative viticultural practices that buffer these vines against nature's variations. South African winemakers have embraced the challenge to bring forth the beauty, elegance and class that the grape holds." - Johan Jordaan, cellarmaster at Spier
Safe to say, Chenin is now entering its heyday. The country enjoyed a banner year at the world's largest wine competition, earning 27 more medals overall than last year. At the top tier, South Africa claimed one Best in Show, eight Platinums and 36 Golds. While red wine led the way at Platinum level, it was Chenin that was crowned with South Africa's sole Best in Show: Stellenbosch Reserve, Hangbrug Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch 2025.
Click HERE to read the full article.