'Off the Charts' Clairette Blanc

£15.29

£20.39 per litre · incl. 20% VAT

In Stock

Here's a white that breaks the rules and rewards you for being curious. An 'orange wine' without the orange colour, made from old-vine Clairette Blanche, it layers nectarine and citrus with vanilla, caramel and a whisper of clove. Fresh, zesty and quietly thrilling. The bottle you bring out when you want to surprise people.

Not for sale to persons under 18. Adult signature required on delivery.

Region

Swartland, South Africa

ABV

20%

Oak

Winemaking The grapes were painstakingly hand-sorted then destemmed into stainless steel fermenters for a cold soak. The almost complete fermenting must was gently pressed using a basket press and fermentation was finished in neutral 228-litre Burgundy barrels, where a 20% underwent malolactic conversion before the cellar got too cold in autumn

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Our Verdict

We tasted this alongside a run of more conventional Cape whites and it was the one that stopped the room. There's a real cleverness to it: all the texture and intrigue of an orange wine, but with a freshness that keeps it food-friendly and easy to love rather than challenging for its own sake. It's perfect for the adventurous drinker who's bored of the usual Sauvignon and Chardonnay, and it punches well above its modest price. Bruce Jack rarely misses, and this is one of the most quietly distinctive whites we stock. We don't get many, so don't dawdle.

Tasting Notes

This is a skin-contact white that keeps its golden colour rather than turning orange, and the texture tells the story. The nose lifts with ripe nectarine and bright citrus, then deepens into vanilla, caramel and a curl of orange peel. A touch of clove and toasted almond adds savoury intrigue, while time on the skins lends a gentle grip across the palate. It all draws to a fresh, zesty finish that keeps the richness in check and leaves you reaching for the next sip.

Ripe Stone Fruit

Juicy nectarine leads the way, fleshy and sun-filled, giving the wine its generous, mouth-filling core of orchard-fruit flavour.

Zesty Citrus Lift

Bright citrus and a twist of orange peel cut through the richness, keeping every mouthful fresh, vibrant and moreish.

Vanilla And Caramel

Neutral barrel time brings soft vanilla, caramel and a whisper of toffee, adding warmth and roundness without heavy oak.

Almond And Clove

Toasted almond and a touch of clove give a savoury, spiced edge that lifts this well clear of simple fruity whites.

About This Wine

If you like wines that make people pause mid-sip and ask what on earth they're drinking, you've just found your bottle. Bruce Jack's 'Off the Charts' Clairette Blanche is an orange wine in spirit but not in colour, the result of gentle skin contact with oxygen carefully kept at bay so the must never browns. The grapes come from one of South Africa's oldest pockets of Clairette Blanche, gnarled vines well over three decades old, planted in a valley ringed by mountains between the cool Atlantic and the warm Klein Karoo.

That balance of long sunshine hours and mountain-cooled nights is the whole story here. It gives the wine ripe, generous fruit without ever losing its nerve. Expect nectarine and bright citrus first, then a slow reveal of vanilla, caramel, toasted almond and a savoury touch of clove, all carried by a fresh, zesty finish that keeps you coming back.

The winemaking is hands-on throughout: hand-sorted fruit, a cold soak, a gentle basket press, then fermentation finished in neutral Burgundy barrels with a portion going through malolactic conversion for extra texture.

Pour it with roast chicken and lemon, a creamy risotto, or a board of nutty hard cheeses and charcuterie. It's a brilliant conversation starter for a dinner party, and a genuinely thoughtful gift for the friend who thinks they've tasted everything. Delivered to your door anywhere in the UK.

Food Pairing

The skin-contact texture and savoury spice make this a brilliant food wine. Try it with roast chicken and bread sauce, or a slow-cooked Moroccan tagine with apricots and almonds. It loves gently spiced dishes too, think a mild Thai green curry. For something simpler, a board of mature Gouda and quince paste matches the wine's nutty, caramelised side beautifully.

—Roast chicken with bread sauce and root vegetables
—Lamb and apricot tagine with toasted almonds
—Mild Thai green curry with prawns
—Mature Gouda with quince paste
—Grilled pork chops with sage and apple

How to Serve

Temperature

Lightly chilled, not cold. Around 11C lets the texture and spice show. Ten minutes out of the fridge is plenty.

Decanting

A short decant of 20 to 30 minutes helps this skin-contact white unwind, softening the gentle grip and letting the nectarine, caramel and spice notes open and express themselves fully.

Glass

A medium to large white wine glass with a generous bowl gives the textured, spiced aromatics room to develop.

Cellaring

Best enjoyed in its fresh, vibrant youth. Store cool, dark and on its side, and there is no need to wait before pulling the cork.

Behind the Wine

Breedekloof rarely does anything by halves. Dry, warm winters tend to push budbreak early, then favourable spring growth and well-timed rains before veraison set up healthy fruit. What really shapes the character here is the long, slow ripening: cool, mountain-influenced finishes to the season draw out hang time and keep berries small and concentrated. That patience shows in the glass as bright nectarine and citrus held together by genuinely fresh, zesty acidity rather than weight.

The Land

The fruit comes from a Clairette Blanche vineyard well over three decades old, the kind of mature, deep-rooted planting that gives concentration without heaviness. Cradled by mountains, it benefits from warm days for flavour and aromatic ripeness and cool nights that preserve freshness, the slow ripening that defines the wine's vibrant, balanced profile.

The Winemaking

This is an orange wine without the orange colour, and the cellar work is what makes that possible. The grapes were hand-sorted and destemmed into stainless steel for a cold soak, then fermented on the skins for six days at a cool 12°C, with a single gentle punch-down a day to keep the cap moist. Oxygen was deliberately kept at bay to stop the must browning. A soft basket pressing followed, with fermentation finishing in neutral 228-litre Burgundy barrels and a portion going through malolactic conversion. The result is texture and savoury depth without heavy oak.

The Swartland Region

Swartland, 'the black land' in Afrikaans, named for the renosterbos that darkens after rain, rolls out north of Cape Town across the hills around Malmesbury and Riebeek-Kasteel. It's hot, dry, and stubbornly characterful: a place of old bush vines, granite and koffieklip soils, and a community of growers who've made it the most quietly thrilling corner of South African wine. Concentration, freshness, and a wild streak you don't find elsewhere, that's Swartland in a glass.

About the Producer

Bruce Jack

Bruce Jack runs a small, tight-knit team out of South Africa, with head winemakers Bruce himself and Marlize Beyers working side by side for more than two decades. Between them they've made wine across several continents, but the through-line has always been authenticity, wines that taste of where they come from, made by people who actually know the vineyards. The 'Off the Charts' range, which the Tumbleweed wines belong to, is their love letter to South Africa's classic grape and region pairings, with labels nodding to the Basotho blanket and the wide, untamed landscapes of the Cape. Bruce Jack has appeared four years running in Drinks International's World's Most Admired Wine Brands, recognition the team has quietly earned, bottle by bottle.

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