My review of the Swartland Winery Bush Vines Chenin Blanc 2018 vintage
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Good evening everyone. It’s wine o’clock here at The Wineman’s. Tonight’s cheeky little wine, it’s the Swartland Winery, Bush Vine, Chenin Blanc. This is the 2018 vintage which has just run away with a whole string of awards. Tonight’s video, I’m going to tell you a little bit more about Swartland and the Swartland Winery, tell you about the Chenin Blanc and what it tastes like. Then we’re going to open this and see how amazing it is for tonight.
So let’s start with the Swartland area. So it’s quite rugged, it’s not pristine and wonderful like Stellenbosch and Constantia, it’s full and filled with bush vines that are allowed to basically just grow wild and do what they like and they don’t worry about things like weeds or anything like that, or any of the manicured areas and the beautiful rows of vines that you see in an awful lot of the more prestigious growing areas.
Now Swartland, in particular, they specialize in Southern Rhône grape varietals, such as Roussanne, Carignan and things like that. But in this one, they’ve gone with a specific grape variety that grows incredibly well in South Africa. That’s the Chenin Blanc but what they’ve done with this one is make it in a slightly different way.
So Chenin Blanc is used in all sorts of different styles but this one is matured in stainless steel casks first, for a period of time, then it’s put into oak casks afterward so it can really get some imparted flavor and characteristics that come from that. So you’re looking for about two weeks in stainless steel cask, and then you’re looking at about six months in 225 liter French Oak barriques.
Now French imparts a different flavor to American Oak, and also to the other different oaks that come from around the world. There is a specific reason that they choose French Oak so they want it to give, as you can see, quite a beautiful color, look at how golden that is.
Now it’s not as intense as the Roussanne that I reviewed yesterday but- And that was incredibly well received by an awful lot of people but this one is, it’s different because in terms of the aroma, it’s got a sort of an It’s still got the citrus note and it’s very classic Chenin Blanc but it’s got an orange blossom sort of character as well. Mm, mm, mm, mm, mm. Mm, mm, mm.
Oh my God! Wow! This is intense. It’s rich, it’s luscious, it’s spicy. It’s got a butterscotch sort of characteristic. It just takes over your mouth and just says, “Wow” and just kind of, “You will enjoy me.” This acidity is kicking in. Phwoah! It’s beautiful. It makes- It coats the side and of your tongue and the sides of your cheek and it just envelops you. And it’s a bit like when you get a lovely, rich, intense, luscious red, it wraps you on a big warm hug.
Well, this particular white, it gives you a very, very similar sort of hug. It really is an intense wine. It’s- What would you put it with? It’s going to take over an awful lot of dishes, but if you put it with something spicy,
I think it will work with great harmony. Put it with a simple sea bass, it’s just going to demolish it. So bouillabaisse, something like that, I think would be incredible with this particular wine.
Also a tomato sauce, style flavored dish, something Italian, typically, maybe a spicy Diavolo pizza would be really, really good. So I’m going to try this tonight. I’m going to have a little think about what I’m going to make with it but I can really, really recommend this Swartland Winery, the Bush Vine Chenin Blanc, 2018 vintage. You will love it. This glass and I will speak to you tomorrow, cheers.