Few regions of the world are as ideally suited for raising high quality grapes for wine than the coastal region of the Cape Province of South Africa. With an eight month growth period, hot days and cool nights, no hail, no frost, no autumn rains and minimal risk of plant diseases, the region has been justifiably described as a paradise for winemakers. Despite these ideal conditions and a century old tradition of making wine, it was only in the 1970s that the country began to produce wines that could be taken seriously.

The major reason why South Africa lagged a decade behind California and Australia was the stiffling conservatism of KWV, the huge cooperative that for many years controlled nearly 90% of the country's wine production. KWV remains a giant firm, but they seem to have awakened from their long period of slumber. They produce an immense range of wines, most of which now prove reliable for everyday drinking and, now that they have largely abandoned their paternalistic world-view, some of their wines have even attained international levels of excellence. Despite those advances, the privilege of making really exciting wines in South Africa seems to have fallen to an increasingly influential group of small wineries, many of the best of which are located in Stellenbosch, an area that starts about fifty kilometers east of the city of Cape Town and extends south to the Indian Ocean at False Bay.

Several days ago, I attended a semi-formal tasting of nine such wines. The tasting, in good and lively company was most pleasant, spoiled only because several of the wines had been harmed by having been shipped in conditions far from ideal. In the next two days, however, I arranged to re-taste nearly all of those wines (all shipped under far better conditions) plus another dozen or so, and arranged a more formal tasting in my own home. Among the grapes represented in my tasting were Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and, perhaps most exciting, Pinotage.

First planted in South Africa in 1926, Pinotage is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. (In case you're wondering where the name comes from, Cinsault is often referred to in South Afirca as "Ermitage"). Only in the 1950s did people begin to take the wines from this hybrid seriously and today, especially in the hands of talented winemakers such as Beyers Truter, the grape produces wines of great charm, the best examples of which are flavorful and powerful yet soft and full, with a pleasing sweet finish and a lightly spicy overlay. Like California's Zinfandel, Pinotage has won a remarkably devoted following and has inspired fan clubs and even a charming and informative internet site(The Pinotage Wine Club can be found at: http://www.pinotage.org).

My recent tastings included wines from Kanonkop, Beyerskloof, Fairview, Bouwland, LeBonheur, Drostdy, Middlevei, Alto Estate, Uniskrall and Fleur du Cap.

To view my South African tasting notes ... click here

© Daniel Rogov