WSET Lesson 1 Tasting 2

2005 Kanu Chenin Blank, WO Stellenbosch, South Africa, 14%, £8.65
Colour: clear – medium – gold
Nose: clean – pronounced – kernel, oaky
Palate: off dry – medium acidity – no tannins – medium body – grapefruit, peach, honey – medium length
Conclusion: acceptable
Many more aroma and flavour sensations going on here. We are introduced to an oaked wine, a wine matured in the presence of oak. I’ll go into more detail about oak and wine in a whole post later. I’ll just leave it as a new dimension here.
Understanding the label
2005 vintage.
Kanu is the producer.
Chenin Blank being the Afrikaans for Chenin Blanc.
WO is the ‘Wine of Origin’ mark, established in 1973 it is similar to the QWPSR marks used in the EU. The area it refers to is Stellenbosch, the centre for viticulture in the named country, South Africa.
Chenin Blanc is a grape variety native to the Loire valley, France. Also called Pineau or Pineau Blanc there, it is late budding and late ripening. This makes it an awkward grape to grow in the damp environment of the Loire. The resulting wines have a honeyed/ damp straw quality to the characteristics, yet are quite highly acidic.
In the New World Chenin grows more vigorously. If yields are too high the resulting wines can be nondescript. In South Africa the grape is sometimes called Steen. It makes up 17% of South Africa’s vines. Used as a base for basic dry table wines; for better quality single-varietal wines; for sparkling wines; fortified wines; even as a base for spirits.

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