Appellation · South Africa
Breedekloof
A large, hot inland district long dedicated to bulk wine, now the source of some remarkable old-vine Chenin Blanc.
Old-vine Chenin Blanc that is concentrated, textured and savoury with stone fruit and a waxy weight. Considerably better than the district’s reputation.
About Breedekloof
Breedekloof is in the upper Breede River valley, hot and heavily irrigated, and was for decades a bulk-wine district supplying co-operatives and distillers.
It holds a substantial share of South Africa’s oldest Chenin Blanc vines, planted in the 1960s and 1970s when the variety was grown for volume and brandy base.
The Breedekloof Makers initiative, formed in 2016, has brought those old blocks to market as serious dry white — a direct parallel to the Old Vine Project across the Cape.
What the name means
- Legal name
- Breedekloof (Wine of Origin district)
- Type
- Wine of Origin (WO)
- Set by
- South African Wine and Spirit Board
- Recognised
- 2004
- Regulates
- Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.
Certified origin, vintage and variety, verified by the Wine and Spirit Board and carried on a seal. It guarantees that the claims on the label are true; it does not prescribe what may be planted or how the wine is made.
Grapes
Wines from here
What to eat, and how to serve it
Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.
South African Chenin Blanc
Serve at 10–12°C (lightly chilled).
Try with fillet steak, grilled chicken or grilled salmon.
Where to go next
Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.
- Robertson — A hot inland valley on limestone — rare in the Cape — irrigated from the Breede River, and known for Chardonnay.
- Paarl — A warm inland district north of Stellenbosch, historically the administrative centre of the South African wine industry.
- Swartland — A dry, warm region of old dry-farmed bush vines, and the centre of South Africa’s new-wave movement.
Sources
Sources consulted
- Wines of South Africa — WOSA