Wines of the New South Africa. Tim James

of, especially, Paarl, Stellenbosch, and the Swartland. The variety’s natural good acidity is fully taken advantage of in such viticultural conditions. The market for relatively expensive Chenin is necessarily limited, so old, low-yielding bushvines are still being pulled out, if at a slightly less alarming rate. Nonetheless, the age distribution chart shows more than half of the vines to be older than sixteen years, and nearly 40 percent older than twenty.

      Chenin’s first moment of South African glory came many decades ago, however, when it was used in Nederburg’s Edelkeur, the first of the Cape’s unfortified botrytised dessert wines. It still serves Edelkeur, as well as a number of other extremely good versions, including Ken Forrester T, Kanu Kia-Ora, and Rudera Noble Late Harvest.