SOUTH AFRICAN WINE:
MELDING OF OLD AND NEW WORLDS 

This article first appeared in Specialty Food Magazine in July 2003.  Click here for an update on my visit to South Africa in March 2004.

History and politics have a way of mingling with wine to make a beverage that isn’t always palatable. The fascist regime of Francisco Franco kept Spanish wine a virtual secret even after his death. In Argentina, a disastrous economy followed on the heels of a military junta to create a climate that was inhospitable to producing great wine. And in South Africa, the wine industry was hidebound until the end of apartheid in 1990.

“What’s wonderful is that the growth in quality has mirrored the political development,” says Andre Shearer owner of Cape Classics, which imports South African wines. “The wine industry is unrecognizable to people who left 20 years ago. There has been an entrepreneurial spirit in the last 15 years.”

The quality of which Shearer speaks was demonstrated in Wine Spectator’s annual roundup of South African wines. Writing in the May 15, 2003 issue, James Molesworth noted that of the 306 wines he tasted “more than 40 scored 90 points or better on the Wine Spectator 100-point scale, a marked increase over previous years. Nearly 90 percent of the wines scored at least 80 points, a strong showing.” South Africa can now boast world-class Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc as well as some interesting, if not unique, Chenin Blanc, and an indigenous varietal called Pinotage, a cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault.

Though the overthrow of apartheid breathed new life into South Africa’s wine industry (which dates back to 1659), the modern era actually began in 1973 when the Wine of Origin  (WO) system was set up, patterned after the French Appellation d’Origine Controlee (AOC).  The WO sets standards for such things as allowable grape varieties and labeling. For example, varietal wines sold in South Africa must contain 75 percent of that grape, 85 percent if the wines are to be exported. It also created wine districts—there are 13 legal districts but 12 for practical considerations —within larger wine regions and a number of sub districts called wards. The vast majority of the wine in South Africa is made in the Southwestern part of the country within 300 miles of the city of Cape Town.  

Stellenbosch and Paarl are considered the top two wine districts, especially for red wines, though some outstanding Chardonnays and Sauvignon Blancs can be found in Stellenbosch. Roberston shows increasing promise for Chardonnay, says Rachel Lovett of 57 Main Street Wine Co., a South African wine importer. “The granite soils are more like Burgundy,” she says. Hermanus, Elgin, and Walker Bay in the Overberg district all do well with Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. Constantia is the country’s oldest wine area and continues to produce fine wines.

What do South African wines taste like? It’s difficult to generalize, especially since there are distinct differences among districts, not to mention the microclimates within them. But it is often said that South African wines combine the best of traditional Old World winemaking from Europe, primarily France, with the favorable weather conditions and sense of innovation from New World wine regions such as California and Australia. “We’re halfway between old and new,” says Robin Back of The Wines of Charles Back (an umbrella term that encompasses Fairview and Spice Route wineries owned by the Back family). “Nice New World fruit and Old World structure.”

Sauvignon Blanc is the varietal that created the first big splash for South Africa wines, and many still think it is the white wine on which South Africa should hang its hat. It generally strikes a balance between Sauvignon Blancs from the Loire Valley in France and those of New Zealand. “South African Sauvignon Blanc is more tropical fruit (than New Zealand), which can sometimes be too heavy. In the mouth it’s more minerally, like a Sancerre,” says Shearer, who imports Mulderbosch Sauvignon Blancs, considered the cream of the crop. Others to look out for include Delaire, Jardin, Buitenverwachting, Ken Forrester, L’Avenir, Bellevue, Seidelberg, Fairview, Boschendal, and Thelema.

Only the Loire Valley does as well as South Africa with Chenin Blanc, traditionally called Steen, though some winemakers would just as soon go back to the classical name. However, where Chenin Blanc can be off-dry, even sweet in France, it is almost always dry in South Africa, exhibiting tropical fruit flavors such as guava and passion fruit. Brands to look for include Rudera, Mulderbosch, and deTrafford.

While South African Chardonnays offer ripe fruit, they are balanced by crisp citrus-like acidity and good minerality. Malolactic fermentation is seldom used, and when it is, it creates a creaminess rather than a buttery character in the wine. Top producers include Mulderbosch, Buitenverwachting, Neil Ellis, Brampton, Drakensig, Fairview, Seidelberg, L’Avenir, and DeWetshof.

Though South Africa’s initial success was based on its white wines, red wines have made tremendous strides in recent years. Cabernet Sauvignon is the most widely planted red, used for single varietal wines as well as in Bordeaux blends. “They’re not blockbusters like California,” Lovett says. “They’re drier with good body and character.”  Names to look for include Neil Ellis, Engelbrecht-Els (the Els being golf pro Ernie Els), Rustenberg, Stark-Condé, Drakensig, Rupert & Rothschild, Thelema, Rust en Verde, and Meerlust.

If Sauvignon Blanc is the signature white of South Africa, many believe that Shiraz is, or will be, the signature red. “It’s more Rhone in style, with tobacco and spices,” Lovett says. “The plummy fruit is residual, not upfront and jammy.” In warm areas such as Paarl, Shiraz is leading a virtual charge of Rhone varietals, including Grenache and Viognier. Back has torn out his Bordeaux varietals in Paarl and planted only Rhone grapes for his Fairview label because the warmer climate is more suitable. Other Shiraz (or Syrah) producers of note are Neil Ellis, Mas Nicolas, Drakensig, Rust en Verde, Spice Route, and Thelema.

That leaves Pinotage. Some, such as Helen Gregory of 57 Main Street, think that this uniquely South African grape can be too much for the uninitiated. “It can be tarry and smoky and too complicated for people tasting it for the first time,” she says. Others, like Mary Ewing-Mulligan and Ed McCarthy, authors of Wine for Dummies, think “it can be a truly delicious, light-to-medium-bodied red wine that makes for easy drinking.” Good producers include Fairview, Seidelberg, and Spice Route.

This is a good time to buy South African wines, thanks to the weak South African rand. Among the 40 wines that scored 90 or more points in Wine Spectator’s tasting roundup, 35 were $30 or less. More than 50 wines scoring at least 85 points were $15 or less. As Lovett put it, “Our competition is generally higher priced than we are.”