Chardonnay
Originating from Burgundy in France, today Chardonnay is grown pretty much everywhere that wine is produced. And South Africa is no exception. After the backlash against heavily wooded, buttery-rich Chardonnays in the 2000s, local winemakers began producing wines with more minerality and freshness, but still retaining that smooth, creamy wooded Chardonnay spirit. And indeed, South African Chardonnay is on the rise and receiving plaudits not just at home but worldwide. Case in point – in 2017, Paul Cluver’s Seven Flags Chardonnay clinched the title at the Decanter World Wine Awards.