Below you will find my own, personal guide to one of the world's great wine regions. Each guide includes a map as well as recommended producers and wines





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South Africa

Note: see also wine-pages' major profile of South Africa.

I suppose there was every chance that the wines that emerged from post-apartheid South Africa would appear odd, quirky, even weird to most wine lovers. After all, the wine-makers had worked in virtual isolation for decades, their wines - like all South African produce - officially embargoed by governments or privately shunned by consumers. Without the pressure of critical scrutiny to sharpen their focus, the country's wine industry might well have drifted into a backwater. What a relief, when South African wines began to re-appear on international shelves in the mid 90's, to find that crisp fruity whites, seriously structured reds and of course the unique Pinotage provided inexpensive, good quality drinking. Though the South African wine industry is certainly not without a legacy of problems, its seems there is huge potential for the area now that it has rejoined the international wine community.

Geography and climate

Only the very southern tip of the country has a climate suitable for growing wine grapes. As a whole, this is a hot climate region, but moderating influences are to be found in the shape of the Indian ocean to the south cooled by currents flowing up fom the Antarctic, breezes from the Atlantic ocean to the west, and some altitude to be found in upland areas. 

Grapes

South Africa produces much more white wine than red and is widely planted with a broad range of the ubiquitous "international" varieties. However, a few grapes have particular significance:

  Chenin Blanc the great grape of the middle Loire, it is often grown and bottled as Steen. Though generally producing dry, fruity, quaffing wines, it is versatile and can be fashioned in a variety of styles including oak-aged, serious examples and long-lived botrytised dessert wines. This single variety accounts for around 50% of all South African white wine production.

Colombard's great claim to fame is as the base wine of Cognac, but here it makes a pleasantly fruity, usually dry white wine.

Sauvignon Blanc not particularly significant in terms of volume, but one of South Africa's most successful varieties in my experience.

Muscadelle/Muscat d'Alexandrie are both used for a whole range of dessert and fortified wines, usually with a wonderful combination of flowery aromatics and luscious, chocolaty sweetness.

Pinotage a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, South Africa's very own grape variety which can produce both vibrant, super-fruity Beaujolais Nouveau style quaffing reds, and much more serious, oak-aged, robust, ageworthy efforts.

Pinot Noir is again not statistically significant in terms of production, but anyone who tastes a fine example from the likes of Bouchard-Finlayson or Hamilton Russell will agree that it shows massive potential.

Cabernet Sauvignon has traditionally been South Africa's premium red variety with fine estate-bottled examples being compared favourably with the best in the world. I have found mixed evidence: some bottles ripe, balanced and well-structured; some a little herbal and weedy.

The great wines of South Africa

South Africa has few vinous superstars that stride the global stage. International auction houses and collectors will scrabble for the glamorous top wines of Europe, Australia and California, but nothing from the dark continent commands that kind of fervour as yet. Partly, this must be down to the country's political situation, but also to the way the wine industry is structured. Co-operatives and bulk producers vastly outnumber small-scale independents (around 85% of all production is by co-ops). Inevitably quality suffers in these circumstances. Nevertheless there are many visionary, quality-obsessed winemakers who are gradually re-shaping this landscape. There are also many well-respected and extremely fine wines that have reached international prominence, if not super-stardom.

At their best, it seems to me that South African wines exemplify a tremendous fusion of Old and New World styles. They can have the ripe, focussed, sunny fruit of Australia, yet the reserve, firmness and structure of fine Bordeaux or Burgundy. Several of the best producers are highlighted in the brief run through the main wine regions which follows:

Stellenbosch
One of the most familiar regional names, Stellenbosch is the home of most of the traditional premium red wines, especially Cabernets and "Bordeaux blends". A large area, there are a variety of soils and climatic conditions, but the Atlantic provides some moderation. There is a concentration of quality individual wine estates in Stellenbosch, amongst the best and longest-established are Blaauwklippen, Meerlust, Warwick, Thelema, Kanonkop and Rustenberg.

Paarl
  If you've bought a bottle of inexpensive supermarket South African wine in the past, chances are it came from the massive KWV wine-growers association. KWV dominates the region producing a huge volume of red, white and fortified wine. A large inland valley area, there are quality individual producers too such as Fairview, Glen Carlou and Nederburg.

Constantia
On the cool, coastal outskirts of Cape Town, this is South Africa's most historically famous wine region thanks mainly to its almost legendary dessert wines which are said to have given solace to the emperor Napoleon in exile.

In 1986 the fine Klein Constantia estate revived this style with the fine "Vin de Constance", a Muscat-based sweet wine that is spoken of in the same breath as Château d'Yquem. Through a quirk of legislation this wine cannot be imported to the UK, but I was lucky enough to taste a bottle brought by a South African friend and it was truly superb. 

The dry Sauvignon Blancs and Cabernets of the region are also well worth trying. Other fine producers include Groot Constantia, Buitenverwachting and Steenberg.

Walker Bay
This cool, upland coastal area is new and small in terms of production, but some of the most exciting South African wines I have tasted have come from here, principally the Pinots Noir and the Chardonnays of Bouchard-Finlayson and Hamilton-Russell. These producers are employing new French oak barrels and very traditional winemaking to make premium wines that are convincingly Burgundian in style.

Robertson
Another hot, inland area but with lime-rich soils suited to white wine varieties, particulary Chardonnay. Look out for the wines of de Wetshof, Van Loveren and Springfield.

Franschhoek
A small area southeast of the Paarl, the hot climate is again moderated by a little altitude. I've been impressed by wines from La Motte, Von Ortloff, Bellingham and Boschendal.

Most other vine growing regions such as Worcester, Olifants River, Orange River and Little Karoo are hot and arid, with bulk production of wines from irrigated vines, often used as the raw materials for distillation.

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