Gold Medal for 2024 Vintage - Gilbert & Gaillard

Wild House Chenin Blanc, WO Western Cape 2025: For this wine to be from old unirrigated bush vines and still be this price is an incredible achivement. It’s dazzling with its pristine fruit and bustling with a richness that utterly defies its price point. This doesn’t just represent an expertly made wine, but a commitment to making the journey into old-vine Chenin an accessible one, something that could secure the potential future drinkers of the 11 wines prior. Bravo. The Wine Merchant Magazine (March 2026)

Best Value White Trophy in The Wine Merchant Mag 2023 for 2022 Vintage

This is a really delicious, easy drinking white that is guaranteed to please all. I'm not normally a huge fan of Chenin, but this really is extraordinary: trust me -I'm a wine merchant?!

Fermenting only in stainless steel ensures the freshness, character and liveliness of the wine is maintained. To tame some of this energy and add more complexity and depth to the final wine, it was kept it on its fine lees for approximately nine months. This also adds to the lush mouthfeel and keeps the wine fresher for longer.

Ripe peach and tropical fruit on the nose with fresh citrus notes. Honeyed and textured on the palate with crisp acidity and hints of honey dew melon and lychee leading to a bright, zesty finish with fresh lemony acidity.

There are plenty of surprises in this years wine merchant top 100 , but if we had been asked to place a bet on which country and supplier would be most likely to provide the Best Value White Wine Trophy winner, its fair to say South Africa and Boutinot would have had some of the lowest odds. The wine that romped to first place makes full use of Boutinot’s knowledge of South African winelands, with the company turning to leading Franschhoek-based Wildeberg Wines for 100% Chenin Blanc, which is fermented and aged in stainless steel for maximum fruit expression. At a time when rising costs have made sourcing good quality sub £10 wines increasingly difficult, the judges were all the more impressed. “Bright and crisp, with lots of fresh green apple and pear, and nice lively acidity keeping the mouth keen and interested,” said the judges. “A touch of tropical fruit too, this is classic unoaked Cape Chenin that really packs a punch at this price”.