Excellent wines from Tim Atkin
South Africa Report
(translated excerpts)
Introduction
South Africa has an incredible amount to offer: great weather, friendly and open people, a revitalized rugby team, and an exciting and thrilling wine industry. Even though not everything looks so rosy in terms of politics, water shortages and labor situation, I am very optimistic about the future of South African wines. The wine industry plays a large and important role in the future of the entire country. Recent statistics from SAWIS (South African Wine Industry Information and Systems) illustrate that the wine industry is one of South Africa's leading agricultural exporters, contributing R36.1 billion annually to the economy and employing more than 300,000 people directly or indirectly associated with the industry. South Africa's wines themselves continue to be on a steep upward curve and excite both me and other critics immensely on a global level. This is my sixth annual report for the Cape Winelands wine scene and confirms my personal view and opinion that the industry is tremendously dynamic, exciting and in constant evolution. It continues to attract new talent and continually explore its boundaries in the search for new terroir. This year there was not a single category that did not impress me. Even the aromatic whites of the 2016 vintage demonstrated wonderful definition and elegance in many cases. And only the 2017 Sauvignon Blancs! Chenin and Chardonnay are immensely strong varieties in the Cape and among the reds I found (as always) absolute delight in the Syrahs and Rhône blends of South Africa, but I also tip my hat to many Pinot Noirs, Cabernet Francs, Pinotages, red Bordeaux blends and first-class Cinsauts. MCC sparkling wines of Cape Winelands (Methode Cap Classique) proved to be absolutely fantastic this year and deserve special recognition. As far as the different wine regions are concerned, the Breedekloof region shows excellent developments and the Darling region as well as other parts of the West Coast enthused with a captivating fresh potential. The overwhelming majority of the Cape's best wines came from the five regions of Elgin, Stellenbosch, Constantia, the Swartland as well as Walker Bay.
1) South Africa - a successful fusion of past and present.
South Africa's rich and traditional wine history is omnipresent in today's Cape Winelands, with its distinctive Cape Dutch architecture and dramatically beautiful landscape. The first Cape wines were produced here as early as 1659 in the cool shade of Table Mountain, at that time predominantly from different variations of the Muscat variety. Many of South Africa's most famous wineries today date back to Cape colonial times. Blaauwklippen, Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Meerlust, Rustenberg, Rust en Vrede, Saxenburg, Spier, Vergelegen and Zorgvliet are just a few of the wineries still thriving today, whose founding dates back to before 1750. However, this is only part of the story. South Africa's modern wine industry is largely a product of the post-apartheid era: wineries such as Alheit, AA Badenhorst, Boekenhoutskloof, Boschkloof, Botanica, Cape Point, Crystallum, David & Nadia, Keermont, Mullineux & Leeu, Newton Johnson and Sadie Family, among others, are on the exciting and successful new wave of the industry. This fresh and dynamic energy is exactly the element that makes the South African wine industry so popular. But where does this fresh wind come from? In part, the reason for this vibrant dynamism lies in the young age among the country's top oenologists. In no other country are there so many oenologists between the ages of 20 and 30 in the talent pool of successful winemakers as in South Africa. However, the low price of grape material and the low cost of entry into the world of winemaking also present an appealing opportunity for today's youth. Is South Africa's wine industry thus in the past or in the present? The recipe for success here clearly lies in the combination of both elements - the sheer boundless energy and creativity of the industry, which is still developing in exciting ways, benefits from the immensely rich sense of tradition, knowledge and experience of many centuries.
2) Terroir - an important factor of growing significance.
The climate in the Cape is basically Mediterranean in nature, although there are also much cooler areas here, with lower temperatures due to their proximity to the Atlantic Ocean and their altitude. This makes the Cape an extremely suitable growing location for a wide range of different grape varieties and different styles of wine. The different terroirs with their multi-layered soil types, ranging from slate and granite to sandstone and limestone, produce just about every grape variety: from first-class sparkling wines and fortified wines to Sauvignon Blanc and Viognier to Pinot Noir and Syrah, everything your heart desires thrives here, surrounded by what is probably the most colorful and multi-layered fauna on earth. In one respect, South Africa increasingly resembles the Old World in its focus on the terroir-specific cultivation of certain grape varieties. With each new vintage, South African winemakers are realizing the immense importance of terroir-specific cultivation of their wines. Well-known examples of this are the cultivation of Chardonnay in the Elgin, Hemel en Aarde, Ceres, Overberg and Robertson regions, while Sauvignon Blanc finds favorable growing conditions in the Constantia, Darling and Durbanville regions, and Chenin Blanc in Stellenbosch, Swartland and Tulbagh. 3) The extreme challenges of 2016 were met with unwavering aplomb 2016 presented itself as an extremely difficult year for the South African wine industry. Growing conditions proved to be incredibly dry and hot, and many winemakers began their harvests earlier than ever observed, while others started harvesting too late, resulting in higher acidity and alcohol levels. While regions such as Robertson and Klein Karoo were provided with adequate rainfall during the winter months, Paarl and the Swartland were affected by severe drought months and subsequent losses. Stellenbosch suffered only a minor crop loss. Although it was possibly the most difficult year of the decade for the wines themselves, most wine producers coped with the challenging weather conditions with flying colors. Earlier harvesting of the grapes yielded quite remarkable results for both red and white wines. For many, the great success of the 2016 vintages came as a great surprise - many an oenologist even saw the production of his best white wine to date in 2016. The year 2017 presented significantly lower challenges with 1.4% higher crop yields than in 2016, due to cooler nights with fewer heat spikes and generally cooler temperatures. Despite isolated frost damage and fires, the consensus for 2017 is for a brilliant wine year, for both red and white wines.
4) South Africa needs more wines at the upper end of the market for a serious image on an international level.
Reports and statistics show that South African wines are extremely affordable, possibly a little too affordable to gain professional credibility at the international level. For example, 80% of all South African wines are marketed at retail in a price range that is below R40 per bottle. At the higher end, however, there are very few wines that retail at a price above R 1000. Economically, this is a harsh reality, which can be attributed to the fact that South Africa still has a low-cost profile in the export market, almost as if South African wine producers feel that their wines have too little value for a higher price profile. It is only recently that more and more wineries are taking the bold step into higher price ranges, both on the domestic and international markets, and recognizing the true value of their years of work and award-winning wines. There is no doubt that South African wines are immensely affordable in terms of Bordeaux, Burgundy and Napa Valley standards, even at R 1000 per bottle.
5) Chenin Blanc – South Africa's most distinctive white grape variety
Chenin Blanc is South Africa's most distinctive and at the same time most underrated white grape variety. Often referred to as the workhorse of grape varieties, it enjoyed a not-so-good reputation for a while, as it was often used as a base wine for brandies in the past. Chenin Blanc is a wonderfully versatile grape variety and is used in both sweet style wine, unwooded, wooded or sparkling. The consistent yields of this grape variety and its ability to preserve a beautiful acidity in the fruit in the Mediterranean climate make this grape variety a superstar. Today, thanks to pioneers like Eben Sadie, Chris Alheit, Adi Badenhorst, Ginny Povall (Botanica) and David & Nadia, Chenin enjoys the status of a serious grape variety with the potential to be world class.p>
6) South Africa can be proud of the remarkable quality of its Pinot Noirs.
Among the most important and noble grape varieties in the world, Pinot Noir was historically South Africa's stumbling block for a long time. This then insurmountable challenge can be explained very simply with today's knowledge: In the past, the wrong clones were grown by the wrong people in the wrong place. The first Pinot Noir clones reached South Africa in the early 1920s, because we know that Abraham Izak Perold crossed them with clones of the Cinsaut grape in 1925, thus introducing South Africa's autochthonous Pinotage grape variety to the wine world. However, it was not until 1991 that Pinot Noir was produced for the first time as a varietal wine, when Tim Hamilton Russell started his first attempt in Hermanus and was at best smiled at by colleagues in the industry. Peter Finlayson also tried his hand at vinification of this grape at the same time, and already with the first results, it became apparent rather quickly in the industry that Pinot Noir could have a great and promising future in South Africa. Fast forward 25 years on the timeline and a remarkable transformation can be observed today. Pinot Noirs from the Storm, Crystallum, Paul Cluver, Newton Johnson, and Creation wineries can undoubtedly compete today with the very great Pinot Noirs of Burgundy, Oregon, New Zealand, Germany, and Australia. Pinot Noir is grown in almost every region of the Cape Winelands, although three regions have proven to be particularly favorable growing locations: Hemel-en-Aarde (with its three sub-regions), Elgin (in the production of sparkling wines) and Robertson produce shining stars among South Africa's best and award-winning world-class Pinot Noirs. But the best is yet to come, as no one really knows how older Pinot Noirs will develop. The high-grade Dijon clones of this grape variety have only been in the country for a relatively short time, and enologists, winemakers and critics are eagerly awaiting this development.
7) Sons and daughters follow in their fathers' footsteps.
There is a lot of coverage of South Africa's young and ambitious winemakers - a new generation (cross-)entering this exciting industry without a family background. In part, these articles and interviews somewhat overshadow South Africa's tradition-bound wine dynasties, which play an immensely important role in passing down centuries of knowledge through the generations and are an indispensable element in South Africa's wine industry. Think of father-and-son teams like: Gyles and Thomas Webb, Braam and David Van Velden, Dave and Gordon Newton Johnson, Neil and Warren Ellis, and Peter and Peter-Allan Fynlayson. But female oenologists are also following in the footsteps of their fathers and forefathers here, with pride and plenty of talent. Successful examples of this are Carel and Margaux Nel and Carolyn and David Finlayson. All of these relationships are immensely positive and important to the development of the South African wine industry, where seamless generational transitions maintain priceless expertise and know-how.
8) South Africa dares to transition to more uncommon grape varieties in viticulture - a slow process with a future.
If one takes a look at the report published annually by SAWIS of all the grape varieties represented in the Cape, one might think that South Africa's vineyards have a similarly diverse and wide-ranging portfolio of grape varieties to offer as Argentina. Currently, according to this list, 106 different grape varieties are grown in South Africa. Among them, in addition to the usual varieties, are lesser-known ones such as Agiorgitiko, Alicante Bouschet, Clairette, Fernão Pires, Gamay, Grenache Gris, Kerner, Furmint, Nero D'Avola, Souzão, Tannat, Verdelho and Viura, among others. However, these statistics often turn out to be misleading, as these above-mentioned 13 grape varieties cover just 1000 ha of South Africa's 95,775 ha of total vineyard area: Chenin Blanc (17,707 ha), Colombard (11,512 ha), Cabernet Sauvignon (10. 589 ha), Syrah (9,946 ha), Sauvignon Blanc (9,246 ha), Pinotage (7,052 ha), Chardonnay (6,856 ha), Merlot (5,558 ha), Ruby Cabernet (2,306 ha), Muscat d'Alexandrie (1,781 ha), Cinsaut (1,767 ha), Pinot Noir (1,153 ha) and Semillon (1,119 ha). These grape varieties account for 91% of the area planted with wine in South Africa and only 9% of cultivated area is planted with the remaining 93 grape varieties. SAWIS recently released a report illustrating a comparison of the top grape varieties of 2006 with those of 2016. The result here clearly shows that there is little difference between the two lists. Although quite slow, the development towards more unusual grape varieties can definitely be seen. In addition to an increase in the cultivation of the Semillon and Pinot Noir varieties, a clear rise can also be seen for the Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache, Tempranillo, Tannat and Petite Syrah varieties, as well as for the Portuguese Touriga Nacional, Souzão and Tinta Barroca varieties. Examples of the more daring wineries here include Diemersdal's Grüner Veltiner, Idiom's Sangiovese, Newton Johnson's Albariño, Radford Dales Thirst Gamay, and Stark-Condé's Petite Syrah.
9) Grapevine mite infestation is still a major problem in South Africa - natural control methods are on the rise.
South Africa is increasingly known for its "Old Vine Reds" and "Old Vine Whites" - wines produced from old vines, which can often be more than 40 years old. It is worth noting here, however, that only 2640 hectares of South Africa's 95,775 hectares of total vineyard area is planted with old vines. One of the main reasons for this is the vine mite, which is estimated to infest 50% of all South African vineyards. Whereas in the past vines affected by mite infestation were simply torn out by the roots and the vineyard completely replanted, or even harsh chemicals were used, today more and more wine farms are using other aids in the natural control of pest infestations. Pheromone traps and the release of natural predators such as ladybugs, certain fly species and wasps usually present better results than insecticides and also offer a considerably cheaper alternative.
10) The low market price for South African wine and grape material is ultimately leading the industry up the garden path.
Without wanting to sound too alarmist, the future for the South African wine industry faces serious problems. The continuing drought in the Cape and the resulting low crop yields are certainly one of the problems; another is the country's economic and political situation. But probably the most serious problem facing the Cape wine industry is profitability. The comparatively low prices for South African wine are beneficial to the customer in the short term, but certainly not on a long term basis - neither for the industry itself, nor for the customer. The low market price for grape good is increasingly leading South African wine growers into a change of direction regarding their crop. While in 2006, 102,146 hectares were cultivated with wine, today only 95,775 hectares are under vines. Statistics show that an average of 640 ha of vineyard area disappears every year. Cape Winelands wine producers earn significantly less for their end product compared to their counterparts in California and Australia. The solution to this problem? Without wanting to sound too alarmist, the future for the South African wine industry faces serious problems. The continuing drought in the Cape and the resulting low crop yields are certainly one of the problems; another is the country's economic and political situation. But probably the most serious problem facing the Cape wine industry is profitability. The comparatively low prices for South African wine are beneficial to the customer in the short term, but certainly not on a long term basis - neither for the industry itself, nor for the customer. The low market price for grape good is increasingly leading South African wine growers into a change of direction regarding their crop. While in 2006, 102,146 hectares were cultivated with wine, today only 95,775 hectares are under vines. Statistics show that an average of 640 ha of vineyard area disappears every year. Cape Winelands wine producers earn significantly less for their end product compared to their counterparts in California and Australia. The solution to this problem? The retail price must be set higher in the long term. Because before winegrowers can get more profit for their grapes, more people have to drink South African wine - and at a higher price than the market currently presents.
