#VinComing: The World Of Wine
South Africa: Part 2 of 2:
By @AndyTheWineGuy:
Regions:
Stellenbosch focus:
Now then, Stellenbosch will probably be the first South African wine region that comes to many people’s minds, it’s in fact an only an hour’s drive from Cape Town, or, alternatively, a 90 minute local stopping train with 2 changes, a 2km walk and a 2 hour “Taxi” comprising of 10 gobsmacked locals and my girlfriend Kate and I as we took our own route to the charming, modern University town. Exciting and eventful though it was, I wouldn’t really recommend attempting that particular route with hindsight, as we encountered some hairy situations as a price for our adventurousness. Nevertheless arrive safely and soundly we did and we checked in at a guesthouse called “Languedoc” owned by a lovely English couple, funnily enough, also of Cheshire descent.
Stellenbosch sits surrounded by 3 blue-grey towering mountains, “Helderberg, Simonberg and Stellenbosch”, the fine website www.wosa.co.za says this about the “Town Of Oaks”:
“The mountainous terrain, good rainfall, deep well-drained soils and diversity of terroirs make this a sought-after viticultural area. The rapidly increasing number of wine estates and producers (some 150) includes some of the most famous names in Cape wine. The district, with its mix of historic estates and contemporary wineries, produces excellent examples of almost all the noble grape varieties and is known for the quality of its blended reds”.
I found the Shiraz, the Chenin, occasionally Riesling and the Bordeaux variatal blends to be the most impressive across the board here & Supermarket-wise these grapes almost always offer very competitive value.
Particular mentions must go to:
“Journey’s End” (Their range of wines demonstrated incredible consistency, their Cape Doctor Bordeaux Blend my overall pick), “Vergelegen” (Chardonnay & an amazing 100% Cabernet Franc), “De Trafford” (Chenin Blanc, Four V, Elevation 393 & their lusciously sweet Straw Wine) & finally the imperious “Meerlust” whose owner Hannes Meiburg hosted us with incredible courteousy.
Why not give them a follow on Twitter quoting #TheWineGuy:
@JourneysEndWine – soon to be more active.
@VergelegenWines.
@xenia_sa – for any matters De Trafford.
@MeerlustSa – Hannes himself replies.
It was a life-changing place to visit, I implore you to make the trip over there, I booked a personal guide for the 2 days, it is worth every penny –
www.wosa.co.za will tailor a personalised route for you with extremely knowledgeable guides available – no I don’t get commission lol, they’re just the best. Plus it means you have a driver, no spitoons required!
Walker Bay:
A magnificent coastal region of South Africa where Southern-Right Whales & pesky but adorable African Penguins (see below at Betty’s Bay) frequent the waters off the shore of Hermanus, a charming little town where I first sampled Hamilton Russell Wine over lunch. I was wowed by the sophistication & complexity of their Chardonnay & the planned visit to their winery later that day couldn’t arrive sooner.
Hamilton Russell focus:
For an estate established as recently as 1975 by Tim Hamilton Russell, the wines of one of the most southerly wine estates in Africa, have gained an international reputation. It was the wine chosen by the Queen for the Royal Jubilee Dinner, the wine chosen for the commemorative dinner following Nelson Mandela’s release from prison after 27 unimaginably gruelling years. They make only Pinot Noir and Chardonnay in the one of the most picturesque wineries I have ever visited, below are the views of Hermanus Bay from their winery entrance (PIC 1) and the view from the Tasting Room (PIC 2) from where I purchased a jar of their wonderful honey (No room for wine sadly). Believe the hype, their wines are some of the best I’ve ever tasted.
PIC 1: A Southern-Right Whale Calf leaps playfully out of the ocean.
PIC 2: Hermanus Bay where the above Southern-Right Whales frolick in numbers.
PIC 3: The view from the Hamilton Russell Tasting Room back-door.
Other Regions & Grape Varities:
Paarl – Home of the KWV, it is a warm area that requires manmade irrigation to aid its sustinence. The Grapes of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc have the best potential here.
Robertson – Most vineyards here in this warm region fringe the Breede River, quality Chardonnays are made, other International varieties such as Shiraz thrive also. Graham beck Sparkling wines are made here as are some excellent Muscat wines.
Promising Regions Of The Future:
I have sampled wines from both of these lesser-known regions, I expect great things in their futures, particularly from Swartland Chenin Blanc.
Elgin – Sauvignon Blanc & Pinot Noir.
Swartland – Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon, Syrah & Malbec.
Conclusion:
I visited 10 different wineries in my unfortunately short stay in South Africa, I tasted over 40 wines in all from the grand Meerlust Rubicon to a fascinating 4 year barrell-fermented Chenin Blanc by De Trafford. Something that stands South African wine to be high in my all time favourite wine-producing countries is the pure consistency they seem to be able to achieve over there; I would say only a handful of those 40 wines were anything less than excellent quality. (4 Glasses/5 in my Twitter rating system). Although it must be said I did hand pick my favourite wineries but I had sampled only a small number of the wines overall.
For me, there also is a stand-out dimension to South African wines that is rarely directly referred to when it comes to decsribing the characteristics of a wine. Attributes such as tannin, alcohol, acidity and length are mentioned as standard but there is something that struck me across the majority of the range I tried in South Africa and before I had even set foot there.
I believe there is a unique texture to South African wines that I haven’t found to exist in any other country. Of course, the body of a wine is defined by the grape variety, the method of storage/aging, the tannin & the climate the grape grows in & I recognise that the texture of a wine and the body could be regarded as the same thing. I think in fact rather than asserting this prescribed quality being present in all South African wines I have tried, I would more readily associate it spefically with wines of Stellenbosch origin.
Perhaps it is a merely a fictional, personal sensation I have found to experience but I have been struck so often by the same sense of appreciation for a certain luxury in the body of the wine. Maybe it is coincidence that the wines I have tried have all possessed a body & weight I have simply enjoyed more than other wines before them. But for so many instances of this same character to appear across varieites from Shiraz to Sauvingon Blanc, from Cabernet Sauvingon to Chenin Blanc, I feel very fortunate to isolate an extra characteristic in South African wines that I hope you, in turn, will pick up too and, with such a bright future lying ahead for this historic and beautiful country, this probability can only increase.
Composed by Andy Leathley.
@AndyTheWineGuy.
Email: andythewineguy@gmail.com.
References: www.wosa.co.za
www.jancisrobinson.com
Hugh Johnson/Jancis world atlas of wine.
www.wikipedia.com
Special Thanks to: @Subirch & @DropWines for continued help & support.