Chenin Blanc - African Passion

Chenin Blanc which locally in South Africa is called Steen is the most widely planted varietal in South Africa. The southwest area around Cape Town that is more Mediterranean is well suited to growing grapes.  It is in this region that you will find the prime winegrowing areas of South Africa.

The 2011 African Passion Chenin Blanc is paleyellow with greenish tint in color.  It has a beautiful nose of tropical fruit, pineapple and shows some minerality. As you drink this wine, soft citrus flavors fill your mouth.  The nuisances of pineapple softly present themselves.  The slight acidity in the wine balances it out with a nice crisp finish.

This will be a nice wine for a sunny summer afternoon on the deck.


Disclaimer: I received this wine as a media sample from the KWV Wines of South Africa.

A Little African Passion

South Africa is on my bucket list of places to visit.  Hopefully one day I will get there.  For now the wine will have to do.

KWV is the company behind African Passion and have just launched this brand in the United States January 2013. So this wine and brand are new to the States.  KWV is the leading wine producer in South Africa and they source grapes from the various regions of South Africa.

Onto the wine....African Passion 2012 Sauvignon Blanc.

Soft citrus aromas filled the glass in layers with lime being the most prominent.  As I took a sip of the wine I noticed a tingling on the tip of my tongue.  Don't know what that was all about.

The wine was crisp and the minerality really showed through. I didn't find a lot of acidity on the palate which is usually quite noticeable in a Sauvignon Blanc. Citrus flavors along with tropical fruit made this wine very refreshing and rounded out with a citrus finish.

Disclaimer: I received this wine as a sample from KWV.