Respect is slower than a trophy — and more useful.
Around Decanter’s DWWA 2026 Best in Show white coverage, Hangbrug voice Granat-Mulder frames Chenin Blanc as more respected than a decade earlier. That matters more than any single score. When winemakers, buyers and drinkers share higher expectations, prices can rise without feeling like a scam, and young talent stays in the category.
Mini-lesson: premiumisation is a path. First the grape sheds “bulk white” shame. Then medals arrive. Then lists and restaurants treat it as auto-choice. Chenin is mid-path to late-path in South Africa — still climbing.
Pick Chenin when you want that trajectory in your glass instead of a static sweet can.
Pattern: ten years of rising respect. Preference compounds.
Hangbrug’s Best in Show moment sits on that respect curve. One trophy does not invent a category; it confirms years of quieter cellar work and grower pay that finally match the talk. Drinkers should read the quote as permission: Chenin is no longer the underdog apology wine. Order it like you mean it — and expect the price to reflect the new respect.