It’s rare to revisit a country two years on and find that the wine scene has changed as much as it has in South Africa. Back in the 1980s, this was the most tightly controlled market in the world; now, it’s one of the most dynamic, and even the regulatory board, which hands out export licences, has a category for skin contact whites and “alternative” reds and whites.
The low cost of grapes, combined with the wineries’ relaxed attitude to letting winemakers have their own side projects, have created the perfect conditions for an explosion of different styles. Take whites, for example. A few years ago, no one in their right mind would have made a wine from clairette or muscat d’alexandrie; these were grapes that were traditionally sent to a co-op or used to make brandy. But Craven’s delicate Clairette Blanche 2014 (£17.99 Handford Wines, £18 Roberson; 11.1% abv) and B Vintners’ headily perfumed, dry muscat De Alexandria 2014 (£16.99 Handford Wines, Harrogate Fine Wine Company; 11.5% abv) show just how full of character such wines can be. And the 2015s, widely regarded as an excellent vintage, will be even better when they arrive this spring.
There’s a lot of playing around with blends in South Africa, too, mostly based on chenin blanc and tending to benefit from a year or two in the bottle. I tried the De Morgenzon Maestro 2012, an opulent blend of chenin blanc, chardonnay, roussanne and viognier that was drinking beautifully: Lea & Sandeman and The Halifax Wine Company both stock the current 2014 at £14.95 (13% abv). Chris Alheit’s scintillating Cartology, meanwhile, a blend of chenin blanc and semillon, is already seen as one of South Africa’s best: the 2014 is £26.46 at Lay & Wheeler and £27 at Harper Wells (13% abv).
Even established wineries are pushing the boundaries. Springfield Estate’s Miss Lucy 2014, a gorgeous blend of sauvignon, semillon and pinot gris (£12.95 Slurp, Hawkshead Wines; 12% abv) named after a local fish, rather than a favourite daughter, gives many oaked white bordeaux a run for their money; it’s low in alcohol, too, as are many of the country’s new-wave wines.
Most of these, as I’m sure you won’t fail to have noticed, cost a fair bit more than you’ll pay for South African wines at a supermarket, but they also happen to be in a different league. Check out your local indie to see what they have in store; online specialists SA Wines Online, Swig, Vincisive and Handford Wines have exceptional ranges, too.
