South African Wine

Here is an essay I wrote a couple of years ago on South African. It was for a contest. I won second place and received a free case of wine. The first place winner got a free trip to South Africa.

South African Wines Come of Age

South African wines have come of age, and it has only taken 300 years for it to happen. To be fair, South African wines have undergone a major renaissance in only the past decade. A new generation of winemakers has brought artistry and passion to the country’s culture of wine production. These winemakers, many who developed their craft in some of the world’s most prestigious wine regions, have infused new ideas and technology into South African wine industry. The results have been quite satisfying. South Africa has found it’s own niche in the world of winemaking. The country’s award winning wines combine old world elegance and new world dynamism. The terrior driven wines are well structured – with firm tannins in the reds and food friendly acidity in the whites – yet endowed with enough fruit character to please the most modern of palates.
South Africa’s winemaking community certainly has old world ties. Grape growing in the country dates back to the 1600’s. The landscape in the classic wine growing regions of Stellenbosch, Constantia, Walker Bay, Paarl and Franschhoek, is dotted with whitewashed Cape Dutch houses – architectural remnants of the colonial era. Many vineyards have plantings of decades old, untrellised bush vines on their estates. Unfortunately, for much of its history, the Cape did not produce high quality wines. The potential was always there, but it was slow to evolve. Trade sanctions against the apartheid era government hampered the wine industry’s development. Apartheid ended in 1994 as Nelson Mandela was elected president. Today, trade restrictions are now all but forgotten. The resulting free flow of ideas, capital and technology has brought about a new era for South African wines. No longer is the goal just to harvest grapes. Cape winemakers are doing everything possible to maximize the potential of each vineyard and each bottling.
Classical ideas have not been forsaken; quality winemaking goes hand in hand with careful and conscious farming techniques. South Africa has emerged as a leader in sustainable viniculture. Moreover, vintners have learned to assess the lay of the land. A necessary knowledge of terrior has emboldened regional wineries. South Africa has various climates and microclimates. Winemakers have successfully planted varietals and clones to match the potential of each individual vinicultural region.
Chenin Blanc, known as Steen in colonial South Africa, was the first widely planted varietal in the country. The Steen was first harvested to produce brandy and fairly pedestrian wines that suited the colonial palate. Chenin Blanc is still South Africa’s most widely planted varietal, but the wines produced are far from pedestrian. South African Chenin Blancs tend to fall into two categories. First there are the straightforward, fresh and affordable Chenins with bright fruit and less demonstrative acidity. These wines, although not serious or heavy, still have enough concentration and depth to make them notable. They are fun, sunny day wines that hold up well to light food. The second class of Chenin Blancs are produced from mature, lower yielding bush vines. These vines yield bottlings which are more concentrated and more complex. The bush vine Chenin Blancs are generally aged in oak barrels as opposed to stainless steel and are therefore age worthy and capable of being paired with richer and more flavorful foods.
Sauvignon Blanc does not have a long storied history in the Cape, but it is being planted in greater and greater quantities. South African Sauvignon Blancs tend to have ample levels of acidity and somewhat concentrated aromatics ranging from earthy capsicum, to citrus and lush stone fruit. These wines seem to be emerging as a nice compromise between the sometimes fleshy and light acid Sauvignons of California and the leaner and frequently aggressive bottlings of Marlborough.