From: Swartland, South Africa
Price: $18
Serve with: Shellfish, chicken
Chenin blanc may be underappreciated in California, but in South Africa it's the premier white wine grape. This wine, from Baderhorst Family Wines, displays vibrant flavors of grapefruit, lime, lemon zest, kiwi and mint. It has that grip and persistence characteristic of old vines. It's medium-bodied but very assertive — a wine with zing. Devotees of French chenin blanc may be surprised at its character, which resembles a fine Austrian gruner veltliner more than a Vouvray from the Loire Valley.
—Michael Dresser, The Baltimore Sun