The Curator Reserve Chenin Blanc: A Best Buy Worth Celebrating
Great wine doesn’t have to come with a great big price tag.
We’re thrilled that The Curator 2025 Reserve Chenin Blanc from Swartland, South Africa, has earned 90 points and a Best Buy designation from Wine Enthusiast.
For us, the recognition speaks directly to what The Curator has always been about: finding wines that deliver remarkable character, authenticity and value.
A Taste of Swartland
The Curator was born from a simple idea — to seek out naturally expressive wines that dramatically overdeliver for their price.
That search brought us to South Africa’s Swartland, a historic winegrowing region known for its warm Mediterranean climate, dry-farmed bush vines and distinctive soils. The Curator works with long-established farms to source select parcels and create wines with minimal intervention, preserving freshness, balance and a sense of place.
The Reserve Chenin Blanc is sourced from old, dry-farmed bush vines and captures the energy of the region beautifully. Aromatic and vibrant, it shows floral notes alongside a lively, textured palate, bright acidity, minerality and a fresh, chalky finish.
Wine Enthusiast awarded the 2025 vintage 90 points, highlighting its aromas of pear and sweet pineapple, followed by pear, stone fruit and touches of lime on the palate.
What to Pair With It: Coconut-Lime Shrimp Curry
Chenin Blanc is one of those wonderfully versatile wines at the table, and the freshness of The Curator Reserve Chenin Blanc makes it particularly well suited to dishes with aromatic spice and richness.
Our pairing pick: Coconut-Lime Shrimp Curry.
The creamy coconut milk plays beautifully against the wine’s bright acidity, while lime echoes its citrus notes. Sweet, tender shrimp complements the pear and pineapple character, and a little ginger, garlic and chile adds enough aromatic spice to make each sip feel even more refreshing.
Coconut-Lime Shrimp Curry
Serves 4
Ingredients
- 1 lb. large shrimp, peeled and deveined
- 1 tablespoon neutral oil
- 1 small onion, thinly sliced
- 2 cloves garlic, minced
- 1 tablespoon fresh ginger, grated
- 1–2 tablespoons red curry paste
- 1 can coconut milk
- 1 teaspoon brown sugar or honey
- Juice of 1 lime
- 1 teaspoon fish sauce, plus more to taste
- Fresh cilantro or basil
- Cooked jasmine rice, for serving
- Lime wedges, for serving
Method
Heat the oil in a large skillet over medium heat. Add the onion and cook until softened. Stir in the garlic, ginger and curry paste and cook briefly until fragrant.
Add the coconut milk, brown sugar and fish sauce. Bring to a gentle simmer and cook for several minutes, allowing the flavors to come together.
Add the shrimp and simmer just until pink and cooked through, about 3–4 minutes. Remove from the heat and stir in the fresh lime juice.
Serve over jasmine rice, topped with fresh cilantro or basil and additional lime wedges.
Pour a chilled glass of The Curator Reserve Chenin Blanc alongside it.
Exceptional Wine, Without the Fuss
The Curator has always been about discovering wines that punch above their weight — bottles with a real story, a distinct sense of place and the kind of drinkability that makes you want to keep another one chilled.
We’re delighted to see the 2025 Reserve Chenin Blanc recognized by Wine Enthusiast as a 90-point Best Buy. More importantly, we hope it encourages a few more people to discover what makes Swartland Chenin Blanc — and The Curator — so compelling.
