Continuing with some of the great wines from South Africa now available at ABC, this week I’d like to tell you about Painted Wolf ‘The Den’ Chenin Blanc and Painted Wolf ‘The Den’ Pinotage.

Painted Wolf Wines is the culmination of a dream for owners Jeremy and Emma Borg. They had a shared vision that combined making fine wine with a distinctive South African feel, working with a “pack” team of outstanding grape growers and wine specialists, and their passion for conservation. While Jeremy is not academically a winemaker, he has had over two decades of experience in the wine business in California (where he worked with Kent Rosenblum of Rosenblum Winery), Britain and South Africa. He was also responsible for the very popular Goats Do Roam wines from South Africa. Working at a safari camp in Botswana he met Emma, a freelance photographer involved in hotel and catering management. Together they began putting the pieces of their dream together.

The turning point for them came in 2005 when they received an eleventh hour phone call asking if they wanted some great quality excess wine grapes. Calling around a few friends, they found they could borrow a small cellar at the Black Pearl Winery in Paarl (see my last blog) as well as a few open fermenting bins, a couple of barrels and a small basket press. Suddenly they were ready to turn their dream into reality.

Painted Wolf uses grapes from pack member vineyards which are low yielding, mostly un-irrigated and farmed organically or with minimal non-organic inputs. They specialize in making Chenin Blanc and Pinotage and the wines are, to quote their mantra, “persistently remarkable, remarkably persistent.”

But what about the name? The African Painted Wolf (also known as the African Wild Dog) is one of the rarest and most highly endangered mammals in Africa. A donation from each bottle sold goes toward research and conservation for these beautiful and fascinating animals.

For more information on the wines and on Painted Wolves please check out their website at www.paintedwolfwines.com, and sip on a glass of their delicious Chenin Blanc or Pinotage while you’re browsing. You’ll enjoy it!

Bill Stobbs, ABC Fine Wine & Spirits Wine Supervisor

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