South Africa's wines may be the new kids on the block but they show tremendous promise, writes Mary Dowey
I've been seduced again. It happened in a flash one evening recently, as dusk was falling on the terrace of a Cape Dutch farm facing an infinity of vines. The atmosphere was charged with optimism. We hadn't seen each other for four years, South Africa and I - and here I was dropping in for just four days. Foolish. This time the Cape has me under a spell.
Why? The sheer beauty of the Winelands is always entrancing. Whitewashed homesteads with curvy gables are dotted over vineyards encircled by khaki mountains that look like slumbering dinosaurs. But Cape Wine 2004, a major fair allied with visits to producers, provided extra reasons to feel excited.
South Africa's wines are better than ever before. With many vineyards replanted in the 1990s with new clones, quality has leapt upward. And after a decade of democracy - with the euphoria I noticed in 1996 giving way to some disillusionment by 2000 - there is now a gritty determination to face the challenges ahead.
South Africa's future probably doesn't depend on big brands or discounted supermarket cheapies. It belongs higher up the marketplace - with well-made wines that have their own personality - "a taste of place", as South African wine expert Michael Fridjohn puts it. On this trip I tasted enough really good Cape wines to feel convinced this country is one of the most promising in the entire world of wine. Keep an eye on it. Better still, go there and enjoy heaps of superb bottles that can't yet be found in Ireland.
WHAT THE WINEMAKERS SAY
"Yes, there are frustrations, but there is a great future in this country. I would love to talk to you about our dreams. And they are not just dreams - we'll live them out." Beyers Truter of Beyerskloof
"There's an increasing realisation that we don't have to be Australia to succeed. We lean towards Europe. There's a feeling now that we can work with that, rather than against it." Anthony Hamilton Russell of Hamilton Russell Vineyards
"There's a huge learning curve in the South African wine industry. We are still infants. Although we've been making wine for 350 years, we have only had freedom of choice for nine." Abrie Bruwer of Springfield Estate
BLACK EMPOWERMENT
The faces in wine are still overwhelmingly white, but BEE (Black Economic Empowerment) is now widely discussed in a positive light. "There has been serious progress," says Veronica Campher, a black marketing executive with Bouwland, one of the seven wineries under black ownership. "But so far tens rather than hundreds of wineries have taken steps to facilitate black empowerment. We are the role model for the future."
Estate owner Anthony Hamilton Russell says: "The whole psychology of the industry has changed. Black empowerment is not just a plan - people are hugely predisposed towards these initiatives." The Ministry of Agriculture has stipulated that 30 per cent of land should be in black hands by 2015. "Progress is being hampered by the lack of profitability in farming in general," says Dr Paul Kluver, a wine producer who has been deeply involved in BEE, setting up the Thandi winery with 140 black shareholders. "It's very important that the target be met, but it is going to be damned difficult."
SAUVIGNON SO GOOD
"Sauvignon Blanc is a hot variety," says Mike Ratcliffe of Warwick Estate, whose Professor Black Sauvignon has serious pretensions. Few producers would disagree. Sauvignon thrives in many Cape locations, producing wines which fall somewhere between the Loire and New Zealand in style. "Your ability as a winemaker in South Africa is judged by your capacity to push out good Sauvignons," says Bruce Jack of Flagstone Winery.
The seminar "Cooler Climate Sauvignon Blanc - a South African Perspective" was a wine fair highlight, introducing 12 wines of impressively high standard - some from new, cool regions along the north coast. The most fascinating was a blast from the distant past. Klein Constantia Sauvignon Blanc 1987 was an extraordinary wine with a hint of botrytis (or noble rot) in the grapes yielding an orange scent rather like Tokaji. Who says Sauvignon Blanc doesn't age? Vergelegen winemaker André van Rensburg pointed out that most of the seminar wines were designed to last for a few years.
CAPE BLENDS - THE WAY FORWARD?
South Africa's native red grape Pinotage is still difficult to love - that's not just my view but the reaction of many export markets. Too often, off-putting smells of over-ripe bananas and rubber are followed by medicinal flavours, curiously incorporating a rusty iron tang. Star Pinotage producers such as Kanonkop and Beyerskloof are exceptional in their ability to coax this grape into charm (see Bottles of the Week).
But should South Africa ditch its heritage and follow the Cabernet and Merlot route? Probably not. Cape blends combining Pinotage with Cabernet, Merlot, Shiraz etc are often smooth, enticing reds with a distinctive South African character. There are now about 30, including Warwick Three Cape Ladies (see below); several from Clos Malverne (Dunnes Stores); Flagstone Dragon Tree (Oddbins) and the terrific Beyerskloof Synergy (not yet in Ireland).
SYRAH OR SHIRAZ - STILL IN FERMENT
Like many other countries, South Africa is so keen on Syrah/Shiraz that it has its own "Rhône Ranger" movement. Not that all the wines follow the French model (although the Rhone habit of adding a dash of Viognier for silkiness is fashionable). Some South African Syrah/Shiraz is closer to the Australian style, with swaggering oak and high alcohol. The eight wines featured in a Syrah/Shiraz seminar were uneven in quality, suggesting this grape hasn't quite found its feet.
GRAPPLING WITH GRAPES
"I should definitely have Shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan, Barbera and Viognier," says Charles Back of Fairview Estate. "I'd also love to try Italian varieties such as Nero d'Avola or Sicilian Fiano." He is just one producer among many with broad grape horizons. Interesting wines are being made with Tempranillo, Touriga Nacional, Sangiovese, Nebbiolo and more.
DIFFERENT REGIONS, DIFFERENT STYLES
The Cape Winelands are conveniently compact, clustered within easy reach of Cape Town. Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek are the best-known regions but superb wines are also being produced elsewhere - in cool Elgin and Walker Bay, for instance, and in warmer, up-and-coming Robertson.
FOOD MATCH OF THE TRIP
Barbecued snoek (a huge white fish) with bread, red grape jam, sweet potatoes - and Pinotage. A Cape tradition. Weird but wonderful!
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PORTUGUESE WINE TRIP Tempted by Portuguese sunshine and affordable, characterful wines? Mitchells, the Kildare Street wine merchants, are running a seven-night trip, Sunday, May 23rd to Sunday, May 30th, with direct Aer Lingus flights from Dublin and four-star accommodation. €975 per person sharing. Book with Sadlier Travel, 01-6704880.