Our wine of the week, in collaboration with wine.co.za, is Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Bush Vines Chenin Blanc 2023.

Kleine Zalze is an award-winning winery situated in the heart of the Cape Winelands, just outside Stellenbosch. Winemaking has taken place on our estate on a small scale since 1695 but it was in 1996, when Kobus Basson and his family purchased the property, that the modern Kleine Zalze was born.
Their philosophy is simple: success begins in the vineyards. Exceptional wines are made possible by selecting varieties and clones specifically suited to the various soils and slopes, and further careful management of the farm’s extensive natural assets.


This continuous attention to detail culminated in Kleine Zalze achieving new heights in 2020 and being named Top Performing Winery of the Year by Platter’s South African Wine Guide, arguably the most comprehensive guide to South African wine in the world.
Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Bush Vines Chenin Blanc 2023 is one of the wines from Kleine Zalze’s Cellar Selection. This wine range offers accessible, fruit-driven wines meant for easy everyday consumption and enjoyment. The cellar team crafts this range of wines with care to ensure the profile is tailored to consumer tastes. The grapes for Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Chenin Blanc come from selected bush vine vineyards in Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Swartland.Â


(Did you know? Bush vines refer to grapevines that aren’t trellised and often resemble small bushes that are close to the ground – something like rose bushes.)
Owing to the nature of bush vines, careful canopy management was exercised so that no bunches were exposed to excessive sunlight and that an even ripening of the grapes was ensured. All the vineyard parcels were harvested at optimum ripeness and vinified separately.
All the grapes were given 12 to 16 hours of extended skin contact before only the free-run juice was transferred to the tank for fermentation. The wines were fermented at low temperatures with selected yeast strains to highlight each vineyard’s specific characteristics.

After fermentation, the cellar team left the wine for a further two months in contact with the lees before putting the final blend together. Kleine Zalze Cellar Selection Chenin Blanc 2023 has tropical and stone fruit flavours (think: pineapple, guava, peach, melon, and pear) that are supported by a burst of citrus on the palate. It’s a well-integrated wine with an amazing texture.
This wine pairs extremely well with shellfish, lean fish, spicy curries, and soft cheese.

Wine estate name: Kleine Zalze WinesÂ
Location: Stellenbosch, Western Cape
In Collaboration with: wine.co.za