Higgo Jacobs

A law graduate from Stellenbosch, Higgo was lured into the wine industry after his studies, and what was meant to be a sabbatical ended up as a way of life.

Certified with the Court of Master Sommeliers, Higgo consults to various establishments; judges on wine competitions and publications locally and abroad, and tries his hand occasionally at writing.

Chardonnay has been on the bottom of plenty local wine aficionados’ shopping lists, and justifiably so for its clumsy oak and buttery flabbiness of decades of yore. But ignore it further at your own peril. South Africa is producing some of the best expressions in the New World at the moment, and the variety is popular and red hot almost globally. For those still stuck in the ABC (anything but Chardonnay) mind space, I suggest buying one of my below favourite Un-oaked numbers and ask someone to hide it in a line-up of some of your favourite whites and see what happens. These light, yet wonderfully complex and appetising wines show the charm of Chardonnay without oak support, and serve as a wonderful introduction to the king of white wines.