The renaissance of South African wines shows no signs of slowing down. After close to 100 years of political isolation and damaging local policies, the South African wine industry has had barely 2 decades to get back on a level playing field with the world, and boy have they. An industry that was previously dominated by bulk wine production has pulled hard on the steering wheel and the change has been immediately obvious, with a new exciting energy across the entire Western Cape. However, the biggest change of all has undoubtedly hailed from the Swartland region of South Africa, around 50km north of Cape Town itself, far from the traditional heart of South African wine in Stellenbosch and Paarl.
If you’ve been to one of our Maestrazgo Wine Club tastings, you’ll have already discovered my love of the wines hailing from this region. Swartland means ‘The Black Land’ due to a certain species of local plant that turns black in the winter, giving the region something of a foreboding look from a distance. Historically more famous for wheat farming due to the consistently warm, dry weather, there are nonetheless small plots of undulating hills and slopes unsuitable for the vast wheat fields, and this is where the Swartland revolution began.
It started with Charles Back and Eben Sadie in 1998, when they created The Spice Route winery in 1998; Charles owns the business and Eden Sadie was the mastermind in the cellar. The focus was primarily on Rhone varieties that preferred the warm, dry Mediterranean climate of the Swartland more than the Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Chardonnay commonly found in the centre of the Cape. The wines were a success but the real shift came when Eben started his own project, with his first commercial release in 2001. These are The Sadie Family wines I’m such a fan of, and it turns out the whole world is too as the region exploded shortly thereafter, with wine-makers flocking to try their hand at making wine in this difficult climate.
It’s not all plain sailing, though. Drought is a constant issue here and so yields can be very low indeed. – have a look at the photo above to see the difference between a bunch of Syrah from Paarl in 2018 vs that the Swartland, from vines of the same age (photo credit due to Izele van Blerk). Some of the most promising areas of land are in conflict with sand mines, an industry that seems to care not what it destroys in order to profit, and whilst new talent has definitely flocked here, a great deal of the land is still owned by growers who don’t necessarily consider quality to be a driving factor in their farming practices.
However, it’s still a very young region and the energy is infectious. Many of the producers are young with bold ideas about the future of the Swartland, yet have had a decade to come to terms with the realities of climate and economics, and the wines are getting better year by year. Most of the best producers here focus on dry farming in their vineyards (without irrigation), practice organic viticulture and are relatively minimal interventionist in the winery. With a warm, dry Mediterranean climate there isn’t much pressure from rot and fungi, so why not?
Interestingly, the Swartland Independent Producers are an organisation containing many of the best producers, with rules and regulations not unlike a traditional European Wine Region, defining grape varieties, geographical restrictions, labeling and uncommonly, wine-making techniques. ‘Natural’ wine is the name of the game here, although the restrictions are quite sensible and not particularly draconian; there aren’t any restrictions on the amount of sulphur used, for example. To read more about them, check out their website. I find it interesting that whilst New World wine-makers enjoy the freedom of not having regulatory bodies, more and more often producers are grouping together to create their own, whether it be the Swartland Independent Producers, VIGNO in Chile or Appellation Marlborough. I guess there’s something to be said for it after all.
The below wines were all purchase from Monvinic Store and only represent a small fraction of the exciting projects going on in the Swartland. We’ll certainly cover the region in more depth in 2018/19 with Maestrazgo Wine Club, so stay tuned!
Lammershoek LAM White Blend 2014
54% Chenin Blanc , 31% Viognier and 15% Chardonnay from their vineyards on decomposed granite. Fermented in stainless steel and left to rest in concrete for a further year on its lees. 11.5%% ABV
A solid lemon colour after a few years of age and softly aromatic on the nose. Nice elements from all the grape varieties at play here, with golden apples, melon and lemon curd supported by hints of hay, bitter almonds and just a hint of wet stones. Just starting to show a touch of the funk from aged Chenin Blanc but still quite youthful. Lovely, creamy acidity and a soft, light body makes for a refreshing, accessible style of white wine. No fireworks here but needless to say, the bottle didn’t last for too long! 87Pts
Purchased from Monvinic Store for €8.50
Mullineux Kloof Street Rouge 2013
85% Syrah, 9% Carignan ,2% Mourvedre, 2% Cinsault, 2% Grenache from 7 different parcels across the Swartland. 25% whole-bunch fermentation in stainless steel before almost a year in older French oak. 13.5% ABV
Just starting to brick towards the rim of the glass but still a solid, ruby colour. Ripe and spicy on the nose, with notes of ripe plums and blackberries, a touch of sweat, smoke, pepper and dried herbs; very Mediterranean! Dry and soft but quite spirity and hot – surely this must be more than the 13.5% as labelled? A touch of fruit sweetness and spice on the finish but nothing remarkable. Solid, entry level wine. 87Pts
Purchased from Monvinic Store for €14.70
A.A Badenhorst Secateurs Red Blend 2012
Shiraz, Cinsault, Tinta Barocca Grenache and Mourvedre in unspecified but decreasing quantities. Whole-bunch fermentation in either old oak or concrete, before 16 months ageing in 4000L oak tanks. 13.5% ABV
Still a healthy ruby colour at 6 years old, with just a touch of bricking towards the rim. Complex and understated on the nose, with notes of ripe plums, blackberries, black pepper, fresh herbs, leather and smoked bacon. This really picks up on the palate with lots of flavour intensity and a long, spicy finish. Really quite a Rhoneish wine with all the pepper, smoke and bacon aromas, yet softer and more approachable. This feels like it’s in a very good place right now – delighted I grabbed a bottle! 91Pts
Purchased from Monvinic Store for €15.60