The A to Z of South Africa 

BY NEAL MARTIN | NOVEMBER 02, 2023

A is for Alphabet – The landscape of South African wine is such a tangle of ever-changing interrelated issues that communicating this “spaghetti bowl” of information coherently is not easy. So, with this in mind, instead of a customary single essay, I divided up various topics and ordered them alphabetically. You can read the entire introduction from A-to-Z or dip in and out at your leisure.

B is for Bordeaux blends – In previous reports, I contentiously argued that South Africa’s Bordeaux blends, poster boys in the wake of post-Apartheid’s dissolution, were de facto, the wine industry’s Achilles’ heel. South Africa’s most famous ward, Stellenbosch, might be synonymous with Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. However, its climate and, in particular, its heat spikes precludes sufficiently long hang time and risks bifurcating fruit and phenolic ripeness levels. It results in superficially ripe wines with vegetal elements from unwanted pyrazines.

Reader, I am changing my tune.

Shalk-Willem Joubert, the man behind Taaibosch, which has rocketed to one of Stellenbosch’s most sought-after wines after just a couple of vintages.

Climate change means drought and heat spikes are not going away, and if anything, might be increasing. But winemakers are successfully adapting their viticulture and winery practices to furnish Cabernet lovers with fresher and more nuanced wines. The great beneficiary is Stellenbosch, where there is considerable emphasis on specific sites advantaged by orientation, altitude and soil type, Polkadraai Hills or Karibib, highlighted in last year’s report. The next generation of winemakers is now firmly in the saddle with the mandate to make differences where necessary. This is concurrent with a welcome re-evaluation of Cabernet Franc, spearheaded by the likes of Bruwer Raats and now Shalk-Willem Joubert at Taaibosch, mirroring the trend found in Saint-Émilion and Pomerol. For sure, I can wax lyrical about Rhône blends ‘til the cows come home. Yet winemakers inform me that neither Syrah nor Grenache possess the pulling power of Cabernet in consumers’ eyes. Therefore, the melioration in South African Bordeaux blends is a critical part of its evolution.

C is for Chenin Blanc – Chenin Blanc is going from strength to strength in South Africa, challenging Chardonnay for top dog. The great attribute of Chenin Blanc is its dazzling array of styles. It’s the David Bowie of grape varieties, able to adopt any look it chooses, whether bone dry or sweet. It also blends seamlessly with its partner-in-crime, Sémillon, and across-the-board winemakers are taking these to new heights. Duncan Savage told me how he uses larger vessels such as foudres while maintaining lower temperatures to keep Chenin Blanc “tight”.

I asked Chris Mullineux (Mullineux & Leeu) what makes Chenin Blanc special. “It's a combination of factors that have all just come together,” he answers. “Chenin is naturally a higher acid grape, which is great when you’re aiming for wines with vibrancy, energy and length. Where we are farming in the Swartland, we have a dry, sunny climate, old vines and ancient nutrient-poor soils. This restricts growth and yields, making for wines with a lot of intensity, texture and personality. So, when you combine Chenin’s yin with Swartland’s yang, you get wines of balance, complexity and beauty. What makes it exciting, though, is this generation of winemakers in the Swartland and Cape are well-traveled and have the confidence to let this be, to let Chenin express versions of itself here that are unique to our soils and climate. We're not following or imitating other regions or styles, making them unique and something people can identify and resonate with. Our approach hasn’t really changed a lot in the past 17 years. We’re trying to make wines with finesse and an expression of site. In the vineyards and winery, Andrea [Mullineux] is trying to fine-tune the seemingly small but very important details. Things like farming more naturally to promote life and carbon in the soils as this helps the vines ripen more slowly and retain better acidities. And being super precise at bottling to minimize oxygen uptake. Steps like these help the wines better express site and vintage and also age even better.”

So, with that, here are ten Cape Chenins in a range of styles to look out for:

2022 Damascene Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc

2022 David & Nadia Hoë-Steen Chenin Blanc

2022 Kaapzicht The 1947 Chenin Blanc

2022 Ken Forrester The FMC