A Journey Through South Africa
For April, the Passport Club travels to South Africa, a country whose wine story is as layered and surprising as the landscape itself. This month’s selection pairs two wines from very different corners of the Cape: a juicy Pinotage from the celebrated Kanonkop estate in Stellenbosch, and a vibrant, textural Chenin Blanc from the ancient bush vines of Swartland. Together, they offer a compelling portrait of what makes South African wine so exciting right now.
2023 Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage — Stellenbosch
Kanonkop is one of South Africa’s most revered estates, and the Kadette is its approachable, everyday expression – though “everyday” is a relative term when winemaker Abrie Beeslaar is at the helm. Beeslaar is widely regarded as the greatest Pinotage producer in the world.
2025 The Curator Reserve Chenin Blanc — Swartland
If Pinotage is South Africa’s signature red, Chenin Blanc, locally known as “Steen,” is its soul grape. Nowhere does it thrive more dramatically than in Swartland, a rugged, windswept region north of Cape Town where old bush vines dig deep into granite and shale soils, yielding small quantities of intensely concentrated fruit.
These two wines share a country, but little else — and that contrast is the point. Pour them side by side and you have the Cape in a glass.
Club members can sample all four bottle club selections and pick up their wines at the pick up event on Tuesday, April 14, 2026 or at Curio for the remainder of April.