A Splendid 2015 Vintage in South Africa—Time To Discover Swartland’s Wines

BY STEPHEN TANZER | MAY 4, 2017

South Africa’s more ambitious wines—whites as well as reds—are fresher and better than ever, and they have never offered more stunning value in export markets than they do today. 

With all due respect to greater Stellenbosch, the cradle of South Africa’s viticultural tradition along with the cooler, greener Constantia region south of Cape Town, whose winemaking history also dates back to the 17th century, many of the most exciting recent developments on the Western Cape have taken place in areas that have far shorter track records for producing world-class table wines. Most of these are fringe areas that feature cooler or windier exposures, higher altitude or closer proximity to the sea, such as Elgin, Elim, Bot River and Walker Bay, on the southwestern tip of the country. At the other end of the climate spectrum is the hot, dry Swartland region north of Cape Town, where the production of outstanding table wines is a 21st-century phenomenon. It is only in the last 15 years that Swartland has come of age—and yet in my tastings this winter and early spring, Swartland’s wines were among the most exciting bottles I tried. 

Focus on Swartland

In fact, I would go so far as to say that this is one of the single most fascinating categories of wine I have discovered in the past 20 years. Only in the past few years have more than a few of these wines been possible to find in export markets. I highly recommend that you seek out and try at least a few of the Swartland’s wines, whites as well as reds.