Groot Gariep takes Chenin seriously

The image of Chenin Blanc as a hip grape for lumbersexuals (“beard, plaid shirt, backpack and artfully scruffy hair barely contained by his sensible woollen hat” drinking espressos at House of Machines) is being challenged by Orange River Cellars who are planting 100Ha of Chenin vineyards next to the Augrabies National Park on the Groot Gariep.

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The vineyard rows are 500m long and Kakamas Cellar is expecting to process 4000 tons of grapes when the vineyards come into production in a couple of years. These yields would spin the topknot of a Stellenbosch hipster and will probably put most members of the Chenin Blanc Association out of business. Is SA’s most widely planted grape about to be come even more ubiquitous?