You could say there is a trend permeating among local winemakers, and it is a very positive one at that. After centuries of keeping close to traditionally classic, cooler climate grape varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc and Merlot, there is a quiet avant-garde movement happening that is turning the status quo on its heels.

In recent years, South African vineyards have seen a steady rise in Rhône-style varieties such as Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault being planted, and a more warm-hearted embrace to crafting wine out of our own indigenous grape varieties such as Pinotage and Chenin. The change is dynamic, and one solid reason for such a choice is that these Rhône-style and local varieties are better suited to the harsh, hot and now drought-ridden climate that seeps through our winelands, producing beautifully refined bottlings.

It is with this philosophy in mind that Charles Back went out and pioneered the plantings of such varieties on our farm over 30 years ago. And today, our winemakers are blown away by the results that our Paarl-based vines are showing, in particular the Paarl Chenin and Old Bush Vine Cinsault. Both these varieties are the traditional work horses of the South African wine industry, mainly because of their high yield and ability to blend well with other wines. But with extra care and attention to detail, both have broken the mould and the resulted wines are expressive, well-structured and great additions to the Fairview portfolio. It just goes to show what can happen when you give each grape its time to shine.

As we love doing things differently, we encourage our fans to do the same, and join us as we toast to the comeback kids Chenin & Cinsault – trust us, they’ll be the words (and taste) on the tip of your tongue very soon.

Both of these special wines are available from our online shop.
Paarl Chenin Blanc: R100 – click here to buy now
Cinsault: R115 – – click here to buy now

Paarl Chenin Blanc grapes on the left, and Paarl Cinsault grapes on the right, captured by our winemakers last week

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