Costing under $20, with 13,5% alcohol, and scoring 17 excellent points on the Dionysian scale of 20, the 2017 Simonsig Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch, South Africa is an excellent white food wine.

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Wine has been made there since 1688, so they’ve got it down, and they do it right. It’s as clean and refreshing as any Chenin Blanc from the Loire Valley in France.

Honeysuckle, pear and hints of some tropical fruits fill the nose. At three years old, it’s perfect, and it will hold well for another six to eight years. The wine is balanced with good acids and the hint of sweetness adds, not distracts, from making it a fine food wine.  I’ve been to Simonsig in South Africa and can attest to the high quality of all their wines.  In Vino Veritas.