Top South African white wines
Some great whites for your cellar?
Much of South Africa is exposed to the cooling influence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans, which meet off Cape Agulhas.
It’s this cooler climate that enables South Africa to produce top-class white wines, from Bordeaux-style whites to Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Rhône-influenced blends.
It’s said that South Africa straddles the line between new and old world, and looking through the list below this is clear to see: wines such as Vergelegen’s GVB White wouldn’t be out of place in a Bordeaux lineup.
Decanter’s Tastings team recently attended a tasting of over 50 wines that have been awarded five stars in the 2019 edition of the Platter South African Wine Guide, narrowing the selection down to a shortlist of top buys.
How many of these wines do you want in your collection?
Top South Africa white wines:
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The Sadie Family, Palladius, Swartland, South Africa, 2016
Still in its youthful phase. No oak in this wine and it's clear immediately on the nose. Medium-bodied, straight, linear, mineral, saline and complex palate...
2016
The Sadie Family
Leeu Passant, Chardonnay, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2016
This is the second vintage from Chris and Andrea Mullineux's Franschhoek estate, in partnership with businessman Analjit Singh. Chardonnay grapes grown in the loam rich...
2016
Leeu Passant
De Morgenzon, The Divas Chenin Blanc, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2017
Sourced from select plots of near-50-year-old Chenin vines on decomposed granite on the estate, the grapes are fermented with wild yeasts in French oak barrels,...
2017
De Morgenzon
David & Nadia, Skaliekop, Swartland, South Africa, 2017
Meaning 'shale hill', this single vineyard is an anomaly amid the Paardeberg granite, but it gives a focussed, mineral line to this stunning wine. Tiny...
2017
David & Nadia
Vergelegen, GVB White, Stellenbosch, South Africa, 2015
This Bordeaux-style Stellenbosch white really does stand up against its Gallic rivals. It has a stony, mineral nose with hints of citrus and grass, while...
2015
Vergelegen
Beaumont, Hope Marguerite, Bot River, Overberg, South Africa, 2017
A classic and classy Cape Chenin, whose first vintage was in 1997. Here, fruit from Beaumont's oldest vines - more than 40 years old -...
2017
BeaumontBot River
Oak Valley, Chardonnay, Groenlandberg, Elgin, South Africa, 2017
This vast estate, dating from 1898, is run by the fifth generation of the Viljoen family, who have only been bottling their own wines since...
2017
Oak ValleyGroenlandberg
Warwick Estate, Professor Black White Blend, Darling, South Africa, 2017
A Bordeaux-style blend of Sauvignon Blanc from a coastal vineyard in Darling and Semillon from Elgin. The fresh and lively nose features citrus and passion...
2017
Warwick Estate
Spioenkop, Sarah Raal Chenin Blanc, Elgin, South Africa, 2017
A wine with a distinctive personality, grown in the cool hills of Elgin, just 7.5 miles from the Atlantic. It has aromas of citrus, apple...
2017
Spioenkop
