Terre Brûlée’s Tania and Vincent Carême are passionate about Chenin Blanc, point blanc[k]! Dare we say, Vincent’s the go-to guy for crafting exquisite, multi-faceted styles of the chameleon variety and has received acclaim from critics and wine lovers, the world over.

Domaine Vincent Carême lies in the heart of the famous Loire Valley’s Vouvray region, where he has become the winemaker with a proven pedigree for interpreting the gossamer complexities of Chenin Blanc.

Esteemed wine critic, Jancis Robinson MW is a longstanding fan of Carême’s Vouvrays which she enthusiastically portrays as “wines you want to dance across the room with.”

For some time though, Vincent was eyeing up potential vineyards much further afield than his beloved Vouvray – namely South Africa, which had long held a special place in his heart. Not only because Vincent’s wife and partner, Tania, is from the South African winelands, but he also worked four harvests there from 1997 to 2000 prior to founding his own winery in France, in 1999. Therefore, it was not entirely unexpected that he should try his hand at working with Chenin Blanc in another country also somewhat renown for producing excellent examples of this versatile grape variety.

The South African passion project for Tania and Vincent became Terre Brûlée. Founded in 2013 in the Swartland wine region they have managed to source top quality fruit from 40 year old vines and rent winery space to make the Chenin “Le Blanc” and a red blend “Le Rouge” that Vincent had started thinking about during his time working in South Africa in the 90’s.

Vincent’s affinity to the region is evident in these wines that reflect unique elements which echo the distinctive South African terroir. This is a deliciously exciting confluence – between Old World knowledge and expertise with ancient but ostensibly New World terroir. We are thrilled to give our D&N customers and fellow imbibers, a chance to experience the truly top value wines of Terre Brûlée!

There’s not many of us who could say that at the age of 14 we knew what our “forever career” would be. Well, not so difficult for young Vincent Carême, who at only 14, living in the heart of Vouvray, yet not from a vigneron family, made his first bottle of wine guided by his incredibly proud grandfather. This marked the beginning of a lifelong passion for wine – and notably, for Chenin Blanc!

After receiving a formal and hands-on education in winemaking and viticulture at Lycée Viticole d’Amboise, Vincent worked a number of harvests throughout well-known wine regions in France including Sancerre, Champagne, and Alsace.

In 1997, he travelled to South Africa to gain winemaking experience in the New World. Over the course of four harvests, he was not only able to work in a completely different growing region with his treasured Chenin Blanc, but he also found something else beloved in South Africa – his wife Tania. By 1999 the couple returned to Vincent’s homeland in the Loire Valley and started their own winery with five hectares. Their certified organic winery now spans 42 acres in Vouvray, Vernou-sur-Brenne and Noizay.

From a simple start this dynamic hardworking husband-and-wife team are now two of the Loire’s most respected winemakers and Vincent is also a mentor to many up-and-coming local producers. “He wants people to travel and experience winemaking in other parts of the world,” says Tania. “It means you come back to France full of new ideas and see the wonderful land here with fresh eyes and inspiration.”

Unquestionably one of the most diverse grape varieties, Chenin Blanc can do it all. Could we cheekily call it Chardonnay’s “brother from another mother”! Chenin shines in every style from bone dry to unctuously sweet, oaked, or unoaked, still or sparkling and even as the base for fortified wines and spirits. Perhaps Chenin Blanc’s greatest asset is its ever-present acidity, maintained even under warm growing conditions. We agree – what’s not to love about Chenin Blanc ☺

Chenin Blanc has a long and interesting history – Chenin hails from the Anjou region in France’s Loire Valley, and was thought to be growing there in the 9th century. It was formally classified Chenin Blanc in the 15th century, and the first vines reached South Africa in the middle of the 17th century. It isn’t exactly clear when Chenin arrived in the Cape though, but it acquired a local dialect name – steen – thanks to the early Dutch and German settlers’ mispronunciations. Originally many of the steen vineyards were used to make base wines for brandy production which became very popular and big business, especially in the first half of the 20th century.

It wasn’t until 1963 that Stellenbosch University viticulturist Professor Orffer finally proved that Steen was indeed Chenin Blanc. While very few serious examples of Chenin Blanc table wines existed at the time, the benefit of this long history of plantings and production is that many old bush vine vineyards existed, and it is these that have proven a treasure trove for today’s aspiring winemakers, like Vincent Carême.

South Africa is often lumped together, under some arbitrary umbrella heading, with the other wine-producing regions of the southern hemisphere – South America, Australia, New Zealand. This does an injustice both to the fantastic wines of South Africa and to the wine consumer: the region is unrivalled in its harmonious fusion of New and Old World winemaking styles.

Terre Brûlée vines are grown in the Swartland wine region which is an area that is gaining acclaim, located about an hour north of Cape Town with pockets of vineyards spread throughout the foothills of the Piketberg, Porterville, Riebeek and Perdeberg mountains and along the banks of the Berg River.

“Swartland” translates to mean “the black land,” taking its name from the endangered, indigenous renosterbos (rhino bush) which once turned the land a dark “burnt” colour at certain times of the year. And suitably this was the inspiration for Tania and Vincent’s naming of their new winery – Terre Brûlée.

The Swartland wine region is renowned for its drought-resistant old vines and very special soils. The old bush vines and the soil type are what have allowed this region to produce wines of quality and intense fruit concentration. The soil of the Swartland is capable of retaining sufficient water to prevent the need for irrigation. The water sources, however, are located deep within the soil – forcing the vine roots to extend into the depths of the soil. So not only are these vines drought-resistant but they even tend to thrive in these conditions.

Vincent firmly believes that the quality of wine is determined in the vineyard and consequently is meticulous about his vines. Carême’s southern Swartland vineyard is at 200 metres above sea level and made up of two main Chenin Blanc blocks around Jacklesfontein. They are dry farmed, unirrigated 40-year-old bush vines set on shale and decomposed granite.

Contrary to the viticultural challenges in Vouvray such as mildew and fungal diseases due to the area’s damp and relatively humid environment, in South Africa, the main viticultural challenge recently has been dealing with a multiyear drought.

With the three previous years’ drought the 40+ year old vines have fared much better than younger ones during the drought because they have had years to establish root systems to access water located deep underground. Luckily there was more rain during the growing season in this vintage which allowed the drought-stricken soils to replenish moisture levels and the vines to be under less stress. Temperatures were moderate during harvest with no heat waves during the picking season allowing the grapes good acidity and more juice. It is a well-balanced vintage producing elegant wines of quality.

In the cellar, the Terre Brûlée wines, even though derived from this tough terroir, are made in similar sympathetic artisanal methods and definitely with the same care and precision as Vincent’s French wines: whole bunch pressing, only natural yeast for fermentation and an approach with minimal intervention in the cellar.

For the chenin, fermentation and ageing took place for 9 months on its fine lees in stainless steel tanks (40%) wooden tanks (40%) and 500-litre 2nd use French Oak barrels (5% new wood).

Between harvest in February and bottling in November the wine is tasted and regularly assessed thanks to Tania’s family and friends who carried samples to France (pre-Covid) when they visited from South Africa. Vincent visits South Africa at least twice a year. To ensure everything runs smoothly in Vouvray in his absence, Tania oversees all aspects of the winery while Vincent is away allowing him the freedom and attention necessary to foster this promising project.

Although we have obsessively harped on about Chenin Blanc, we have also fallen head over-heels-in-love with Terre Brûlées’ Le Rouge which is a very focused and beguiling red blend of 40% Cinsault, and 60% Shiraz sourced from old dry-farmed vines. Obviously, Vincent is no slouch either when crafting a winning red wine! It comes across as mineral driven with a lively interplay between freshness and power.

The flavour profile, texture, and calibre of the Terre Brûlée wines present well above their pricing. We’re talking very wallet-friendly indeed! Grab your Terre Brûlée wine selection now to taste a slice of Franco-South African winemaking prowess.

As a celebration of all things South African, we thought it would be fun to share a unique street food recipe from the region. Called Bunny Chow, it exemplifies the natural fusion of immigrant and South African cuisines. Made with aromatic spices, meat, chickpeas, and potatoes served in hollowed-out bread. A one-of-a-kind “sandwich-and-curry dip”. (Rest assured no bunnies were harmed in the making of this dish!)

When ready to cook, heat up large saucepan with oil, and add onions, garlic, ginger, cinnamon stick, curry leaves, cardamom pods and curry powder, stir occasionally for about 2-3 minutes until onions is translucent.

Add tomatoes followed by chicken (meat/protein), stir and sauté for about 2-3 more minutes. Add chicken stock/ water if necessary to prevent sticking.

Next add chickpeas, potatoes, and chicken broth, about 1+ ½ cup, add more as needed. Bring to a boil and let it simmer until sauce thickens, it might take about 30 minutes or more.

Adjust for salt, pepper, and stew consistency.

Use an unsliced rectangular loaf with the flat top, known in South Africa as a “Government sandwich loaf”. If you want to get “fancy” use round cob style bread.

Cut the bread across into two, three or four even chunks, depending on how hungry the eaters will be. Whatever you decide, with a sharp knife cut out most of the soft white bread, leaving a thick wall and bottom. Keep the bread you removed.

Ladle the curry into the hollows, and then put back on top the bread you removed. You could use this bread to help eat the curry.

The main rule of Bunny Chow etiquette is to use your hands! Eat the pieces cut out of the loaf first, dipping into the curry. Once this has been eaten, eat around the crust, dipping into the curry, and combining with a side dish of tangy fresh carrot salad and serve with your fave chutneys, relish, and extra fresh chillies.