Tidings Magazine

As a wine country, South Africa today defies easy explanation. The convenient Old or New World tags really don’t fit here. The wine culture of the Cape goes back at least 300 years. Although the original Dutch settlers were not wine growers, they were soon joined by Huguenots, French Protestants with a similar religious outlook, who brought their viticulture with them. Wine growing thrived in the benign conditions of the Western Cape and several of the great wine estates can trace their history back over hundreds of years. The stunningly beautiful Meerlust estate in Stellenbosch, for example, goes back to the 1600s. Hannes Myburgh, the current owner, represents the eighth generation of his family to farm the property. Although still very much a working winery, today it is also a treasured national heritage site. So much for the New World.

Although Meerlust has lost some of its lustre in recent years, the famous Estate blend Rubicon had long been considered South Africa’s classic red. Watch for good things to happen here in the future though. Meerlust’s 2003 Chardonnay, the first vintage made by dynamic young winemaker Chris Williams shows great power and finesse. A similar renewal is underway at many other famous wineries in the long-established regions of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek and Constantia. The sometimes rustic, sooty reds of the past are being supplanted by well-made polished wines that can hold their own with the world’s best.

Another exciting aspect of this vibrant wine scene is the emergence of entirely new regions with the potential to create styles beyond what was thought possible in the past. At one extreme is cool-climate Elim, with its stunningly crisp and vibrant Sauvignons and, at the other, warm, semi-arid Swartland, now making its name for amazingly deep and complex Rhône style blends. It is fair to say that South Africa is proving itself capable of making as diverse an array of wines as any country on earth.

And now the winds of change are blowing strongly across the new South Africa. The next generation of young winemakers is taking up the reins and leading the charge to develop new wine regions. Vines planted in uncharted cool climate regions are producing stunning wines. The emerging star in these locations is Sauvignon Blanc. South African Sauvignons are the most exciting new kid on the block since New Zealand made its first big splash with this grape. Even Sauvignons planted in established regions are showing astonishingly vibrant intensity and steely mineral crispness. Durbanville, practically a suburb of Cape Town these days, boasts some consistently fine examples. Among the best are those from Durbanville Hills, De Grendel, Nitalda and Meerendal. In Constantia, one of the country’s oldest regions, newcomer Steenberg (established in 1990) has what many believe is South Africa’s finest of all: the Reserve Sauvignon Blanc 2005.

Elim, the Windswept Place of God

The most striking Sauvignons are to be found in Elim, near Cape Agulhas, literally at the southern-most tip of Africa. This remote region is a two-and-a-half hour drive southeast of Cape Town, the last half-hour over a bone-shattering dirt road. Established in 1824 by Moravian missionaries, the name they gave the area means “place of God.” This hardly conjures up the rather desolate wind-swept landscape. The wind blows incessantly, either southeasterly, off the Indian Ocean, or westerly, from the south Atlantic. The temperature never exceeds 28˚C. Here, an intrepid handful of growers and winemakers are growing not only spectacular Sauvignons, but some impressive Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Recent plantings offer the tantalizing promise of fine Pinot Noir in the future. The boundlessly energetic Bruce Jack of Flagstone Winery, one of the visionary young leaders of the South African wine industry, is among their number and serves as ambassador for the region.

This part of Africa was once attached to Antarctica and the soils impart subtle minerally complexity to the wines. Earlier this year, a group of international wine writers made the pilgrimage to this remote region. Our wonderfully hospitable hosts served their splendid wines accompanied by a magnificent array of freshly caught seafoods and charcoal grilled meats, all from Elim. The oysters, which the local folk have to dive for, matched perfectly with the steely crisp Sauvignons. Standouts were Black Oyster Catcher; First Sighting and Zoetendal, all from 2005. The Berrio Cabernet Sauvignon 2004 from Bruce Jack’s Flagstone Winery was equally well matched with the grilled meats, as was the Zoetendal Shiraz, also 2004. At this stage, Elim’s production is still tiny and, other than the Berrio offerings, none are currently available in Canada. That should soon change.