Named after Vulpes chama: Cape fox. The Cape fox is only found in Southern Africa

Chama is a Swartland Chenin Blanc blended from two old, dryland bush vine parcels in the Paardeberg, planted in 1986 and 1998 on granite. Whole bunch pressed, fermented spontaneously in neutral French oak and aged on its lees, it is a fresh, savoury and quietly complex white with the tension that granite gives to Chenin. Only 1 800 bottles were made.

The grapes for Chama come from two different parcels in the Paardeberg. Jakkalsfontein, block 17, was planted in 1986 at approximately 200 metres above sea level, while the Sky Block from Eikelaan was planted in 1998 at approximately 300 metres. Both are bush vines, dryland farmed and planted on granite soils, with Jakkalsfontein being more sandy and the Sky Block more gravelly in texture. Jakkalsfontein was picked and processed on 28 January and the Sky Block on 11 February, two weeks apart. The grapes are whole bunch pressed, settled overnight with cooling and racked to neutral 300 and 350 litre French barrels, where primary fermentation starts spontaneously. Once malolactic fermentation has completed, the barrels are topped and the wines are left to age on the gross lees until December. The best barrels are then selected, blended and returned to barrel with bentonite and SO2, until bottling on 17 January 2026.  

Tasting notes: Chama opens with jasmine and fresh sourdough bread, with a gentle, savoury note of oatmeal in the background. The palate is where the action is: vibrant acidity and a lovely waxy texture carry yellow fruit, lemongrass and a trace of cumin, with white pepper and marmalade building towards a finish that closes on curry leaf. It has the freshness and tension of Chenin grown on decomposed granite, wrapped in a quiet, understated complexity that invites a second glass. Serve lightly chilled rather than ice cold so the texture and spice can show.

Food pairing: Chama's waxy texture, bright acidity and gentle spice make it a wonderfully flexible table wine. Lean into the savoury notes with a Cape Malay chicken curry or bobotie, or head east with a Thai green curry or lemongrass prawns, where the cumin and curry leaf in the glass find a partner on the plate. Butter-grilled West Coast crayfish or line fish with lemon, a herb-roasted chicken, or a creamy pumpkin soup all sit comfortably alongside it. For cheese, choose a ripe Brie or Camembert, whose richness the acidity cuts through cleanly.  

Critic reviews: "Nuschka de Vos uses grapes from two Paardeberg sites: Jakkalsfontein and Sky, to make her impressive Chenin Blanc. Expressing the freshness and tension that are a feature of many wines grown on decomposed granite soils, this has jasmine and sourdough bread aromas, flavours of cumin, lemongrass and oatmeal and nicely understated, fifth-use oak.” Tim Atkin 94

“The palate is where the action is: vibrant acidity, lovely waxy texture, quite complex with yellow fruit, white pepper, marmalade and curry leaf towards the finish.” Neal Martin

ANALYSIS: ALC 13.5% | TA 5.5g/L | pH 3.3 | RS 2.6g/L