I’m probably as guilty as the next person of having pigeon-holed South African wines as cheap and cheerful. For ages I’ve made the sweeping statement that I “hate South African reds”, simply because I’ve had a few bad experiences with inferior examples of Pinotage, which I’d often described as tasting like “licking the forecourt of a petrol station”.
A few months ago however I was made to swallow my words. In a hugely romantic gesture post his operative tour of Afghanistan, my boyfriend swept me off to South Africa for a two week holiday, which would of course include plenty of time touring the winelands. Being the person I am, I did plenty of research in the run up to the trip: which were the best wineries to visit, which wines HAD to be tried and so on. The list looked daunting but after six months off the booze Chris told me he was up to the task.
Our first vineyard visit was rather random. Over dinner in Hermanus, Chris was reading up about the nearby vineyards and spotted the name Hamilton-Russell. “I’m pretty sure his family have something to do with my regiment,” he told me. And so the next morning, whilst wrapped up in a post-booze fog and in the pouring rain (turns out September is their Spring – who knew??) I was dragged on a detour north of Hermanus to the Hamilton-Russell winery. On arrival, we followed the signs to the Tasting Room, to find a beautiful little house with roaring fire inside and a young woman standing patiently waiting for visitors. Only two wines were on show, a Chardonnay and a Pinot Noir, but OH MY GOD. Chris has had a very lucky upbringing with a father who is passionate about white burgundy, and was quite taken aback by the similarities of their Chardonnay with such fine specimens back in France. The lady explained that Walker Bay (where these vineyards stood) is one of South Africa’s coolest climate areas, with the heat of the African sun softened by the sea air. That, alongside winemaking excellence, means that they’re able to create beautiful examples of these Burgundian varietals. Granted this all comes at a price tag but I couldn’t have asked for a better introduction to Fine South African Wine.
And so our journey began. Next stop was Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. With only 30 minutes drive between them (along which route a lot of the vineyards lie) these towns mark the heart of the South African winelands. They are much further inland than Hermanus, the area is made up of beautiful mountains which allow the vineyards to get the perfect amount of sun exposure. The main grapes that do well in this area are Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc (a more recent development because of this grape’s increasing fashionability). Pinotage (a crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsault, with a pretty bad reputation on the world stage), Shiraz, and the Bordeaux varietals (mainly Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot). So quite a few then! For me though, the quality of the Chenin Blanc and Pinotage really blew me away. These grape varieties back in the UK are not seen as quality produce, but this is solely because they are quite high-yielding and so are often used by the cheaper brands. However if you spend a little more money, gone are the burnt rubber or opal fruits (remember them?) characteristics and you get rich silky smoky Pinotage and crisp clean (and sometimes deliciously buttery) passionfruit Chenin Blanc. The more commercially-friendly Sauvignon Blancs and Bordeaux blends were also fantastic however I was once again blown away by the quality of their Chardonnay. This might be because deep down I’m a Chardonnay girl these days, but I would never have thought to drink South African Chardonnay before this. Yes you need to spend a bit of money on this grape (£8 per bottle minimum back here) but that’s nothing for the quality you get. Since returning to the UK we’ve been busy hunting out our favourite wines and so far have only had success with a small few (listed below).
Unfortunately the main conclusion drawn from our trip is that, until we in the UK start appreciating quality South African wines (and not the mass-produced sub-£5 stuff), they are unlikely to start bringing more of it over to us as they’d rather drink it themselves or export it out to other countries that do appreciate their excellence. A depressing fact, which is why I was compelled to write this. So here follows my list of the yummiest wines we tried that you CAN get over here, and I hope that it will spur you all into action. Proof perhaps that there’s more to South Africa than sport?
· Hamilton Russell Chardonnay (Hermanus) – in a blind tasting I would honestly pick this out as a white burgundy. Amazing. Available from Swig (www.swig.co.uk) at £24
· Delaire Chardonnay (Stellenbosch) – if you can’t afford the above, this is a good alternative. Available from Justerini & Brooks (www.justerinis.com) at £10.15
· Graham Beck Blanc de Blancs sparkling (Franschoek) – absolutely delicious champagne copycat, 100% Chardonnay, deliciously creamy. Available from www.thirtyfifty.co.uk at £13.99
· Newton Johnson Sauvignon Blanc (Hermanus) – particularly delicious thanks to the small splash of Semillon inside. Available from www.everywine.co.uk at £11.65
· Mulderbosch Chenin Blanc (Stellenbosch) – deliciously rich and fruity Chenin, available from Imbibros (www.imbibros.co.uk) at £9.95
· Klein Steenberg Bordeaux Blend (Constantia) – our favourite red of the entire trip, and the cheapest! Available from Formula Wine (www.formulawine.co.uk) at £7.95.
· Waterford Cabernet Sauvignon (Stellenbosch) – we tasted this in their Wine & Chocolate tasting experience, I actually didn’t like the match however the wine itself was delicious. Available from Slurp (www.slurp.co.uk) at £15.75
NB: if you just google these wines you’ll find they’re available elsewhere, but these online wine stores I find to be very reliable...
