Ken Forrester's wines have a rich history

In our search for South African wines we have come across Ken Forrester. We met in London at the Saatchi Museum at a tasting of wines by a company called Enotria.

I was immediately impressed by Ken’s commitment and passion. A sense of pride that was something I could really feel.

We have decided to keep two wines from his production - a Chenin Blanc and a Shiraz and Grenache blend.

Chenin Blanc is the most planted variety in South Africa and has been part of the wine industry since the Dutch East India Company arrived on the South African coast in the mid-1600s. So pretty much right from the beginning.

The grape has history in the Anjou region of the Loire Valley in France back to the ninth century. Its spiritual home is the Loire Valley but it has spread around the world, led by its ability to produce large crops. This has probably been its downfall because large crops made tasteless wines.

It was, however, its cropping ability that made it so attractive to the Dutch East India Company. They planted it not to make wine, but to provide fresh fruit for their sailors returning from the Southern Atlantic. Winemaking was a secondary consideration.

Nowadays the modern wine industry understands the grape very well and especially Ken Forrester. He has vineyards containing very old plantings, it is these old vines that produce low volumes and very concentrated flavour. Ken is very sure of the style of wine he wants and is determined not to produce run-of-the-mill stuff...Read on.