Stellenbosch wines dominate in chenin blanc challenge – again!

Stellenrust Wine Estate was among the big winners of this year’s Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top Ten Challenge, with three of the Stellenbosch estate’s wines making the coveted list.

The estate is the most consistent winner in the history of the challenge, having featured in the line-up with multiple wines over the years. This year the estate’s Stellenbosch Manor Barrel fermented Chenin Blanc 2024, Stellenbosch Manor Chenin Blanc 2024 and B28 Chenin Blanc 2024, all of them shining as winners of the challenge.

All this year’s winners, selected after six flights of blind tastings, are from the 2024 vintage. Wines from Stellenbosch dominate the list, with four wines among the top 10. Other regions represented include Franschhoek, Paarl, Swartland and Breedekloof.

The 2025 Standard Bank Chenin Blanc Top Ten Challenge winners (in alphabetical order) are:

Brendan Jacobs, head of agribusiness at Standard Bank South Africa, said every wine on the list earned the winning producer a cash prize of R25 000, with the condition that it be directed towards an initiative benefiting the wine-worker communities involved. To date, the bank has donated almost R3 million to community projects, from education and youth development to housing and health.

Until this year enthusiasts have had to track individual winners down across a variety of channels, from wine clubs to individual producers. “We’ve listened to Top Ten Challenge supporters and tried to simplify access to the winning wines as far as possible,” said Jacobs.

Consequently, for the first time in the 12-year history of the event a high-street retailer will carry all 10 wines. Although still in limited supply, stocks will be available in bigger quantities than in the past. He confirmed the top ten chenin selection will be available at Tops! at SPARs countrywide from Tuesday 30 September or from the producers themselves.

The winning wines will also be presented in a joint event hosted by the Chenin Blanc Association (CBA), organisers of the annual challenge, and the Old Vines Project at September’s international trade exhibition CapeWine. It will also be showcased at ProWine Shanghai in China in November.

“Our participation at ProWine Shanghai demonstrates how we’re transforming South Africa’s agricultural excellence into tangible export opportunities,” Jacobs said. “Leveraging our strategic relationship with ICBC Bank in China, we provide our clients with end-to-end trade solutions, from identifying premium products through competitions such as the Chenin Blanc Challenge to facilitating market access through matchmaking with potential Chinese buyers.”

Ken Forrester, CBA co-founder and chair said that chenin, as South Africa’s flag bearer, stood to benefit in a big way, specifically now that the world was turning increasingly to white wines over red. “Industry pundits are predicting a growing public appetite for the grape,” he said, “thanks to its stylistic versatility and ability to produce wines of freshness.”

Forrester was referring to a recent report issued by the French wine organisation Inter Loire, which highlighted a Wine Trade Monitor survey of wine trade professionals in nine countries in Europe, North America and Asia. The researchers saw chenin earmarked as one of six varieties set for medium-term international growth. Narrowing down to whites specifically, chenin was predicted to be one of the top three varieties, along with chardonnay and sauvignon blanc.Together, SA and France account for more than 80% of all chenin vineyards worldwide.

According to Inter Loire, 136 million bottles of chenin blanc were sold last year, with volumes rising 7% over the past five years in defiance of declining global consumption trends.

“South African chenin exports have been holding steady since 2022,” Forrester added. “This is despite a volume drop in the country’s total wine exports, in line with so many other wine-producing countries.

“Inter Loire research tells us that in Germany and France, among the world’s biggest markets for the grape as well as in the US and the Netherlands, chenin consumers are typically younger than 35. The trend bodes well for the future of chenin, and that very much includes South African chenin.”