Seven reasons to take a trip to the Breedekloof Wine Route or to treat yourself to a Breedekloof wine.

Attie Louw is as refreshing as one of his chenin blancs; humble and down-to-earth, he emanates kindness like a second skin. There’s no chip on this shoulder, no point to prove – he’s simply passionate about family and about chenin blanc. He’s the winemaker (slash marketer) for Opstal Estate, located up on a ridge in the Slanghoek Valley (a sub-region of the Breedekloof).

The road is long and straight, the scenery dramatic. Towering mountains, snow-capped in winter, cascading waterfalls, eye-catching fynbos and wild flowers, wild animals too; the Cape Leopard and endangered geometric tortoise roam there; importantly, lush vineyards snaking the contours of the mountain slopes are a further attraction, as are the wineries where they are turned into wine.

The Chenin Blanc Association is one of the winelands’ most dynamic producer bodies – and it’s done a phenomenal job in making consumers the world over aware of what a treasure trove South Africa boasts.

I was recently asked to participate in an interesting Wine of Origin Breedekloof masterclass featuring 10 Chenin Blanc wines and another 5 alternative varieties such as Semillon, Grenache Blanc, Clairette Blanche and Pinot Blanc. A big thank you to winemaker Attie Louw from Opstal Winery for heading up the winemaker group from the valley and also Emile Joubert for acting as a facilitator during the online tasting.

The Breedekloof Makers presents The Expected & The Unexpected with Emile Joubert, Madeleine Stenwreth, Harold Hamersma, Greg Sherwood, Malu Lambert and Tim Atkin.

It’s been four years since a group of winemakers from Breedekloof decided to band together to showcase the district’s Chenin Blanc under the Breedekloof Makers banner and overall quality continues on a steep upward trajectory. Stand-out wines at this year’s new-release tasting were as follows…

The Breedekloof Makers launched their latest vintages in Cape Town this week. Fourteen wineries from the Breedekloof Wine Valley all came together to share their phenomenal Chenins with the Media, Influencers and Trade.

Yesterday we had the opportunity to attend the Breedekloof Makers Chenin Blanc Launch at The Homestead where we spent some time with a group of winemakers from Breedekloof who decided to band together to collectively showcase South Africa’s greatest white grape, Chenin Blanc, under the Breedekloof Makers banner.

While Chenin Blanc originated in the Anjou area of the Loire, today it can be said to be South Africa’s grape. South Africa produces more of the grape than any other country and has double the plantings of France.

You’d be forgiven for thinking that the Breedekloof Valley is home to only large-scale wine producing cooperatives. Anton Pretorius recently discovered that this picturesque wine hamlet, including the charming Slanghoek Valley, offers a lot more than meets the eye.

I really thought hell would freeze over before a bunch of rural Breedekloof winemakers would be eating raw fish at an Italian joint in Cape Town while talking about their Chenin Blanc wines.

If Chenin Blanc was a song, what would it sound like?

Instead of embarking on a hyper-intellectual scientific discourse on Chenin Blanc, the Breedekloof Makers – a band of like-minded winemakers crafting small quantities of terroir-specific Chenin Blanc from grapes grown in the Breedekloof Wine Valley – have introduced their new vintages matched toa specific song.

Speaking for the Breedekloof Makers, Attie Louw of Opstal Estate in the Slanghoek ward north-west of Rawsonville and Worcester reports that since 2015 the band of winemakers have been upping their efforts in focusing on the crafting of small-volume, boutique Chenin Blanc.

It comes as no surprise that some women find it hard to start a wine career in what is, in essence, a male-dominated industry. But have times moved on for the better?

It’s chenin’s moment in the sun. While pinotage gets the most press for being SA’s patriotic grape, we have more plantings of the chenin blanc grape than any other wine region in the world.

Enter the Breedekloof Makers, a group of 12 like-minded winemakers committed to emphasising the quality of wine in the Breedekloof Wine Valley, where the majority of South Africa’s Chenin blanc grapes are grown.

The success of the Breedekloof’s wine region’s pioneering Chenin Blanc initiative at last year’s international Cape Wine 2015 showcase has led to the formation of Breedekloof Makers, a band of like-minded winemakers committed to emphasising the quality of wines being made in the region, as well as accentuating the diverse terroir pockets.