Ian Naude (pronounced no-dea) is a winemaker without a hectare of vineyard to his name. Not that he wants vineyards of his own, his passion is the art of blending in the winery.

Contracting in the raw product from any number of selected vineyards in South Africa’s Western Cape, he puts it all into place at Adoro Wines in Stellenbosch.

I was invited to dinner with Ian last week, at The Churchill Hotel in York, where, not by coincidence, his Adoro wines are listed. The 46-year-old studied at Stellenbosch’s University wine school before taking up posts in wine regions around the world. He has been at Adoro since its inception in 2004.

“I’m looking for a combination of Old and New World in my wines,” he said. After tasting his wares, I knew exactly what he meant.

Apart from featuring on the Churchill’s winelist, the following Adoro wines are available at Tate Smith’s wine store, Derventio, which is at Sheepfoot Hill, Castlegate in Malton.

The 2008 Adoro Sauvignon, which was superb with a king scallops starter, is a blend of sauvignon blanc grapes garnered from five different regions. Fresh, grassy, floral and almost herbal, it suggests flavours of lime, tropical fruits and has a pronounced minerality. It’s more Sancerre than Marlborough.

Those herbal notes are prominent in the Naudé White 2008 too, a chenin blanc-dominated blend, with sauvignon and semillon playing their parts also. This is a real food wine and Ian reckons it will cellar for up to ten years.

Smoky notes, from fermentation in oak barrels, underpin the citrus, stonefruit and tropical fruit flavours, with a hint of garden mint on the nose and a long mineral finish.

However, Naudé’s pièce de résistance for me is the Adoro Red 2005, a perfectly balanced, velvety creation, made from syrah, merlot and cabernet. Its polished oak notes integrate seamlessly with rich, ripe berry fruit flavours, cassis, spicy black pepper and minerals, with supple tannins giving the wine structure.

• Adoro Sauvignon Blanc 2008, £12.40 at Derventio in Malton 18/20.

• Naudé White 2008, £15.22 at Derventio in Malton 17/20.

• Adoro Red 2005, £15.92 at Derventio in Malton 19/20