Barcelona Wine TastingMaestrazgo Wine Club

Barcelona Wine Tasting: The Wines of South Africa

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This week we’re back for another international wine tasting, this time look at the wines of South Africa. I hadn’t drank a great deal of South African wine until 2016, when my Diploma studies meant that I was spending a lot of time in London where wines from this corner of the world have been going through something of a renaissance. Just around the corner from the WSET headquarters in Bermondsey is Vivat Bacchus, a South Africa restaurant and wine bar that had a wine list full of some big names I’d been dying to try and an excellent, albeit very expensive by Barcelona standards, dinner menu. One night, our entire class headed out for a wonderful meal where I discovered the joys of South African wine, from crisp, creamy blanc de blanc sparkling wines, zesty Chenin Blanc and of course, dark, smoky Bordeaux blends and even then, we only scratched the surface.

Like Chile, South Africa has actually been producing good quality wine for far longer than ‘New World’ would have you believe, and back in the 18th and 19th centuries the dessert wines from Constantia in particular were gracing the tables of the aristocracy whilst some of the most famous ‘Old World’ producers were just getting started. Unfortunately, as is so often the case, quantity became prevalent over quantity and vineyards were planted with high yielding, disease hardy varieties such as Cinsault. This, along with the phylloxera crisis, was the catalyst for the formation of the Co-operative Wine Growers Association (KWV) who would go on to define South African wine for much of the 20th century due to the very large power it wielded. It had statutory authority to not only enforce production quotas in order to limit overproduction, but also to fix prices annually, leading to a great deal of criticism from the global market, during an already difficult political period in South African history. The restructuring of this organisation, along with South Africas first democratic elections in the 1990s, has seen a remarkable change of fortune for the wine industry here, with an array of different producers and styles now available to markets all over the world.

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Climatically South Africa is generally a warm, dry place, although not as much as the latitude of the country might suggest. The regions of South African wine production are split into districts and then further into wards, with a huge variation of style depending on the proximity of these areas to the sea, which of a multitude of soils their vineyards are based on and how much rainfall they receive, from 250mm a year next Klein-Karoo to 1500mm next to the Worcester Mountains. Cool winds blowing across the Cape cool the land and increases the length of the ripening season drastically, with many cooler climate zones being defined and planted all the time. Disease pressure continues to be an issue for the country, with the dreaded leafroll virus being particularly prevalent compared to other major wine producing countries. Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chardonnay and Merlot are all popular varieties being produced today, with Pinotage, South Africas very ‘own’ grape still accounting for a mighty 7% of all plantings. With so much to choose from it was hard coming up with the wine list for this weeks tasting, but I managed to whittle it down to 6 wines from across the country, with 1 sparkling, 2 whites and 3 reds to make up the evening. Roll on Thursday!

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Graham Beck Blanc de Blanc 2008 – One of the most famous names in South African wine who sadly passed away in the summer of 2010. The winery lives on, however, and is responsible for some of the very best South African sparkling wines going. Located in the Breede River Valley, bordering Little Karoo, the focus is heavily on sparkling wine production with three different ranges; NV, Vintage and their Premier Cuvee. We’ve gone for the Blanc de Blanc from 2008, a 100% Chardonnay partly aged in 225 litre ‘barriques’ and partly fermented in stainless steel prior to the secondary fermentation, where a minimum 36 months of ageing on the lees is allowed before disgorgement. Creamy, smooth and a delight to share one of the wines that I was first introduced to South African wine through!

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Tussock Jumper Chenin Blanc 2015 – Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted grape variety in all of South Africa, originally hailing from the Loire Valley in France. Very high in natural acidity but with a broad, often quite ripe fruit profile it has become the darling of grape growers across the country, not least because it can be used to produce such a broad style of different wines. I first came across Tussock Jumper in a blind tasting, notable for the fact I correctly identified that it was Chenin Blanc from South Africa. Ripe, honeyed and very fresh; a great example of Chenin Blanc with a cool label to boot.

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The Sadie Family Skerpioen 2012 – Eben Sadie is a pioneer of South African winemaking, originally starting his own projects in 1999. Considered to be a preservationist and ‘terroir obsessed’ wine-maker, he has sought out the oldest and most destitute plots of land in the already rugged Swartland, championing Rhone varietals on old bush vines. Expensive? Yes, but absolutely stunning wines usually cost a little extra and this combination of Chenin Blanc and Palomino Fino is amongst his very best.

The Chocolate Block 2013 – Blended red wines are common in South Africa, although not all take it to the extent that Boekenhoutskloof have, with a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault, Cabernet Sauvignon and Viognier! The parcels of grapes are sourced from all across the Cape before being blended together and aged in French oak of different ages, prior to a final blending. The result is an easy-drinking and easy to enjoy wine with lots of South African appeal; dark, smoky notes with lots of fruit and, as the name suggests, a hint of bitter chocolate.

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Luddite Shiraz 2007 – Well made Syrah is a joy to behold and being the 2nd most planted grape variety in the country, there are quite a few to choose from in South Africa. However, this small plot of Syrah has been made by a man who’s spent a great time of time honing his skills in New Zealand, Australia and Chile before bringing it back to the Western Cape. 100% Syrah from three different sites and aged in French and Hungarian oak for 12 months, this wine is really expressing itself beautifully after 10 years of age. Dark and spicy with lots of coffee, plum and black pepper spice.

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Kanonkop Estate Pinotage 2007 – Pinotage, that great divider of opinion. Pinotage was created by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsault together in 1924 at Stellenbosch University, and has gone on to be considered South Africas greatest contribution to the Vinifera species of vines. It wasn’t much loved, especially at first, due to some weaknesses during fermentation leading to ‘off’ aromas of nail-varnish and bitterness on the palate. However, modern winemaking has addressed most of these issues and Pinotage can be a wonderful wine if made with due care. Kanonkop are considered to be one of the best when it comes to making this varietal, and their estate Pinotage is a wonderful expression. 100% Pinotage from old bush vines in Stellenbosch and aged in 80% new French oak – this is a great example of what South African wine is all about and an important point of different in international markets.

So concludes our venture into South Africa; 6 top quality wines to showcase one of the worlds great wine-making countries. It’s our final international wine tasting of 2016 but fear not, for 2017 will bring another round with it, looking at top quality wines from all across the globe. For more information on wine tasting in Barcelona, be sure to check out our page here and if I don’t see you on Thursday, I’ll see you in 2017!

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