Sky’s the limit for South African Wines
Principals for success, three-point perspective, shifting focus, forgotten lands and limited time offers
By Michael Godel
This feature was commissioned by Wines from South Africa
In his opening address at Johannesburg’s Gordon Institute of Business Science in March of 2000, Donald Gordon spoke about principals for success. “Remember that overnight success usually takes about 15 years. Never accept that existing practices can’t be improved upon – there will always be a better or alternative way of doing things. If you identify them, see it to the end with meticulous care.” Gordon’s is a uniquely South African viewpoint that relates to the country’s wine industry. If we look back 10-plus years, say to 2013 as the embarkation point for the current epoch of South African wines, then that would earmark 2028 as the culminating point in time to assess and then summarize what has taken shape. Fifteen years for parallel lines to intersect on the horizon line for an industry that has been coming together for great purpose and with great heart. This is called “single-point perspective” but it is really just a special case of “three-point perspective” Read on.
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Three-point because at the second to next Cape Wine (2028) trade show the world will converge and most certainly be privy to identifying South Africa as the most progressive combination for value, trophy hunting and avant-garde wines made anywhere in the world. Two of the three challenges faced between now and then will be to relay, and in turn, convince more wine professionals, bargain hunters and collectors of the facts. The third and arguably equally as crucial an obstacle will be to sell the lion’s share of high-end Cape wines beyond the borders of that country. To compete on equal footing with famous regions like Bourgogne, Bordeaux, the Rhône Valley, Tuscany, Piedmont, Rioja, Priorat, The Mosel, Napa Valley, Sonoma County, Barossa Valley, Eden Valley and Central Otago. The reckoning is coming and if the country’s government gets onboard then the sky is the limit. By 2028, South Africa will be on every wine drinker’s mind, whether they are searching for $20 hits or $100 classics. The total perspective will be gazed upon and the vanishing point revealed. Then it will all begin again – though it won’t take another 15 years to realize greatness once more.
Making world class wines is one thing, but the truth is there will be no future for the South African wine industry without the proliferation of truly sustainable projects. Projects like Great Heart Wines for Mullineux Family Wines assistant winemaker Gynore Hendricks. She is joined by nearly two dozen other employees who profit from a brand of wine that has quickly benefited from special, but also commercial success. As a concept Great Heart is all about staff empowerment through wines made by owners with a piece of the business. This represents cultural sustainability at its finest, seeing significant livelihood improvements for members of the winery and their families.
Shifting focus
In October of 2022, Chris Mullineux explained how the previous three years had been about survival and the present was about a calming down as the country emerged from Covid. “Four years ago, it was about improving the winemaking. We now know it’s about the vineyards.” The paradigm shift from valorizing cellar techniques to newfound agricultural engrossment is the vanguard behind South Africa’s viticultural revolution. Craven Wines’ Mick Craven would say that “chenin blanc is the grape of the country, the one we do best and so we look to Polkadraai.” More and more growers and producers are honouring their terroir by thinking this way. “It may sound cliché to say,” says Craven, “but the relationship and harmony between vineyard and maker is the thing.” Franco Lourens makes a chenin blanc from a trellised 1977 vineyard planted in sandstones at 750m on the Piekenierskloof. Why was it trellised? “No one can tell me,” said Lourens, “but a visionary of the past gave life to the future.” Terroir dictates logical next steps. Peter-Allan Finlayson’s Crystallum pinot noir called Mabalel is made from fully de-stemmed fruit, “because the stems are luminous green up there.” Like so many others, Finlayson pays close attention to the matters of place.
That said there are many winemakers who relish the approach, and also the freedoms, that artisans enjoy to as great a degree as anywhere wine is made. In many cases, these privileges are cases of independent contractors working in exceptional climates but increasingly the rules are governed by larger companies and corporations. Still, there are winemakers like Thinus Krüger who have been on both sides of the equation. “They (Boschendal) always afforded me the opportunity to make my own mistakes,” he contends, which has led to his recent successes at FRAM Wines.
South Africa’s Old Vines Project is by now a well-known entity of exploits celebrated by the wine universe and for so many reasons. There are protected, regenerative and beloved old vineyards not merely scattered but generously dotted across all of the Western Cape’s growing regions. Does it not feel as if every South African masterclass, walk-around tasting and bottle shared mentions and leads to a discussion about old vines? Phrases like “Heritage Blend” carry far greater meaning than ubiquitous North American terms like “Signature Series” or “Vintner’s Reserve,” but they also outweigh French labels such as “Cuvée Reserve,” and even “Vieilles Vignes.” The OVP guarantees vines of 35 years or older and in the Cape there are vineyard blocks that reach upwards of 130. Talking points for a good percentage of wines poured includes dozens upon dozens of vineyards planted in the 1970s and 1980s.
Forgotten lands
While much of the Capelands have long been developed, there are still new frontiers in old places where great wines will be made. Wine companies like The Old Road, Naudé Wines and A.A. Badenhorst are looking west where enthusiastic investment is being poured into both vineyards and hospitality. The Cape West Coast region is located approximately 300 km’s from Cape Town and holds great promise with thanks to terroir of salt deposits in the vineyards and the blessings of long growing seasons. In conversation with Malu Lambert back in 2022 the South African wine writer offered up a short list of properties to have an eye out for. Gedeelte Wines (St. Helena Bay), Sakkie Mouton (Vredendal), Fryer’s Cove Vineyard (Bamboes Bay Ward) and Cape Rock (Between the towns of Vredendal and Klawer) are but a handful of promising estates that will help forge the Western Cape’s vinous future.
The villages that dot the western shores were once thriving fishing outposts but by the 1970s the West Coast fishing industry had begun to decline. Fish and major fisheries were migrating southwards and factories closing. The following decades were one of economic decline. Things are now beginning to change. A West Coast rejuvenation is happening because of an influx of tourism and alternative commercial ventures, with a focus on planting vineyards. The terroir is a mixed bag, but the one constant is the ocean. The vines of Fryer’s Cove dot the hillside 500 meters from where the cold ocean throws its breakers against a rocky shore. Those of Gedeelte Wines are planted in flattened limestone rich coastal sea sand soils just four kilometres from the cold Atlantic. Cape Rock is located 30 km inland from Doringbaai and their vineyards are located on a single 11-hectare farm just above the banks of the Olifants River floodplain. The messaging from all is clear and vintners like Sakkie Mouton are poised to take on the future. “No more Co-op grapes and no more cheap winemaking methods,” writes Mouton. “For me it’s all about the vineyards and the unique sites around the area. I am more than willing to dive in headfirst to find the root of what makes the West Coast Lekker.”
Limited time offers
Godello’s last expedition to South Africa’s Western Cape was already 20 months ago but stills feels so recent because the country’s inescapable moxie and mettle never fade. Sure, it makes a huge difference when you have traveled to a place and allowed the people and wines into your heart, but a piece of them is always here in Ontario and the LCBO continues to play a role. In the coming weeks that increased presence and access to Wines of South Africa is once again available. Wines are perpetually undervalued yet, as it has been predicted, perhaps just a few years away from experiencing a profound paradigm shift. The monopoly’s limited time offers (LTOs) put forward a diverse set of varietal wines and appellative blends at prices markedly below what these wines are worth. Ontario consumers go-to summer wines are once again ready and there for the taking.
The LCBO’s Limited Time Offer (LTO) Program provides suppliers and stores with an opportunity to build excitement and awareness while offering a discount on selected products. The Wines of South Africa PO2 offer is an opportunity for customers to get $2 off three products and receive up to 100 Aeroplan Points (APPs) on five more. The e-commerce volume purchase incentive is buy any combination of 12 bottles of the featured eight during this period and shipping is free. The program runs from Sunday, April 28th through Saturday, May 25. See below for a WineAlign Buyers’ Guide to current LCBO APPs and LTOs for South African wines. The crü also offers up more suggestions for recently tasted South African wines still available at select VINTAGES locations. A total of 20 recommended best buys, each unique and collectively representative of the Western Cape.
Arniston Bay Sauvignon Blanc 2023, WO Coastal Region (100 APP)
$14.95, Select Wine Merchants
Michael Godel – Substantial sauvignon blanc, creamy in the centre and piques of spice at the outer edges. Enough marine air and salinity keep the energy and mediates the sweet to sour compendium. Laden with tropical flavours.
Demorgenzon DMZ Sauvignon Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch (Vintages March 16 Release)
$18.95 Noble Estates
David Lawrason – Such a solid Cape sauvignon, a category under-appreciated but capable of reaching thrilling results in Constantia and higher ground in Stellenbosch vineyards overlooking the cooling waters of False Bay. This unoaked edition is from the latter, propelled by firm acidity and minerality that is mindful of Sancerre. But there is more heft here with solid sub-tropical guava, persimmon, grapefruit and tarragon. Huge value!
John Szabo MS – Lovely value sauvignon from DeMorgenzon in Stellenbosch, offering density and complexity above the mean for the price category relative to other examples from around the world.
Springfield Estate Life from Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2023, WO Robertson (Consignment)
$34.09, Noble Estates – Purchase from the Agent
David Lawrason – Wow, strap in! From the interior Robertson region with its warmer climate and -interesting soils (here quartz) comes an explosive sauvignon with all kinds of guava/passion fruit, lime, nettle, green pepper and tomato leaf. It is medium weight, very spry and lively with some sweetness balancing the acidity, C02 and minerality. Very intense with outstanding length.
Michael Godel – A sweetly pungent aromatic style, gregarious and transparent, with joie de vivre and spirit but also great generosity. Fruit is ripe and ebullient, with inherent saltiness, some structure and this ability to enact Robertson with ease. Not to be missed.
Essay Chenin Blanc/Viognier/Roussanne 2023, WO Cape Coast (80 APP)
$15.95, Revival Beverage Co.
Michael Godel – A pure Cape aesthetic that melds the Rhône varietal assists to the chenin and see it all emerge quite seamlessly. Good and plentiful for $16.
With Love from the Cape Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Western Cape ($2 LTO)
$16.95 The Case for Wine
David Lawrason – This offers good chenin character for the price, with ripe pear/quince, spice, fennel and a pinch of acetic acid. It is medium-full bodied, fleshy, a touch sweet and warm, but full of flavour.
Ken Forrester Old Vine Reserve Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch (75 APP)
$17.95, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits
Sara d’Amato – A classic, stalwart favourite South African find at the LCBO from Mr. Chenin himself, the pioneering Ken Forrester. An excellent value, this youthful 2022 is savory, steely and features a palate amplified by toasty lees with flavours of lime, blossom, almond, pear and beeswax.
Michael Godel – The latest vintage for larger-than-life vintner Ken Forrester’s gift to the world of wine is another stunner. Just try and find a white wine just about anywhere that can match the ideals, generosity, infectious humour and personality of this wine. Remarkable.
Radford Dale Vinum Chenin Blanc 2022, WO Stellenbosch (Vintages April 13 release)
$19.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Megha Jandhyala – The Vinum is a distinctive chenin blanc, sourced from old bush vines that are dry-farmed in granitic soils in the foothills of the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch. Balanced, perfumed, and expressing variety and place eloquently, it also represents excellent value.
David Lawrason – There is a reductive, flinty streak here along with typical chenin pear/pineapple, wildflower, and honey. It is medium-full bodied, fleshy and toying with sweetness, yet anchored but firm acidity, warmth and minerality. Excellent length.
Badenhorst Secateurs Chenin Blanc 2023, WO Swartland (Vintages April 27 release)
$21.95, The Living Vine
Michael Godel – This brand helped pioneer chenin out of South Africa and into the world. Dry as the Swartland desert, crafty and smiley as the man. At $22 it represents necessary and intrinsic value.
Avondale Wines Anima Chenin Blanc 2019, WO Paarl (Vintages January 6 release)
$38.95 The Case for Wine
Sara d’Amato – An enveloping chenin blanc from an innovative, organic producer with subtle maturity and notable viscosity trumped by lively acidity. A soulful, partial-barrel aged expression with hints of honeycomb, roasted pineapple, and a touch of wooliness on the palate. Generous, just shy of opulent with excellent length.
Michael Godel – Anima is Johnathan Grieve’s top drop in chenin blanc from which it is hard to find more reserve style richness. Ripe and fleshy, openly generous, gregarious and golden. Love the way the acids travel up and down the sides of the palate, very linear in their behaviour and keeping the fruit contained, herding it so to speak and thus concentrating flavours up the middle.
Paul Cluver Estate Chardonnay 2020, WO Elgin (Vintages September 9, 2023 release)
$34.95, Buyers + Cellars Wine Purveyors
Michael Godel – A mix of top quality ripeness and old soul winemaking style, flinty and reductive, piques of barrel and the resulting spices making for more complexity than should be allowed given the price. Crunchy exterior and creamy interior, a juxtaposition so right and so real to begin, continue and end. Exceptional and necessary.
Pongrácz Cap Classique Rosé, Traditional Method, WO Western Cape (Vintages March 30 release)
$22.95, PMA Canada
Megha Jandhyala – With warmer weather around the corner, this pretty, coral-toned Cap Classique rosé is a versatile addition to outdoor get-togethers. Made in the traditional method, it is fresh and firm, with only a hint of sweetness. I like its delicate toasty notes and refreshing flavours of citrus fruit and tart summer berries.
Michael Godel – A mix of pinot noir and chardonnay for Rosé Cap Classique, dry and textured, quite tannic to see this age and slowly oxidize along an incremental path. Lingers well and delivers a solid CC punch.
Red:
Tete De Lion Cabernet Sauvignon 2022, WO Robertson ($2 LTO)
$12.90, Univins Ontario
David Lawrason – This offers ample character for the money – capturing cabernets deep colour and ripe – blackcurrant, herbal and cinnamon. It is medium weight, fairly juicy and slightly tannic and roughshod with good length. Alert, only $12.90.
Michael Godel – Crunchy and even structured cabernet for the price that really delivers a cracker experience. Oak is judiciously used and energy runs high for complexity, though not what should be considered as a full-bodied wine.
A.A. Badenhorst Papegaai 2022, WO Swartland (Consignment)
$32.91 The Living Vine – Purchase from the Agent
Sara d’Amato – An idiosyncratic red-white blend of grenache and chenin blanc, with smaller portions of shiraz, and tinta barocca. Dangerously gulpable, this enticing, dynamic, and zesty assemblage features supple tannins along with flavours of forest floor, strawberry jam, and gentle spice. Delicious. The question is – to chill or not to chill? Proceeds go the Cape Parrot Trust, an NGO researching the endangered Cape Parrot. Responsibly packaged in a light-weight bottle.
David Lawrason – Adi Badenhorst is one of the most innovative and interesting producers of South Africa, sourcing from old vine sites. This is a pretty, pale and light bodied red that could be a rose. It is also notably sweet. Expect lifted strawberry/currant jam with vague grassy and cinnamon notes. Quite delicious, but simple at the price. Chill a bit.
Man Family Skaapveld Syrah 2021, WO Coastal Region (Vintages June 24, 2023 release)
$14.75, Rival Beverage Co.
Michael Godel – Big, dark, smoky, deep and hard to believe you can pack in this much oomph and spice for the price. Add in that coastal region acidity and you have to say only from South Africa.
Great Heart Red Blend 2020, WO Swartland (Vintages February 17 release)
$23.95, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Megha Jandhyala – Here is another engaging, more accessibly priced wine from the Great Heart brand, a Mullineux & Leeu Passant wineries’ staff empowerment project. The 2020 red blend is supple and juicy, brimming with flavours of plump red and dark fruit, black pepper, rosemary, and lavender.
Sara d’Amato – A joint venture benefitting the winery employees of the Mullineux and Leeu Family Wines, this project is aimed at improving the livelihood of the staff and their families through the profits generated by Great Heart sales. The red blend is typically led by syrah and this incarnation is notably expressive of the grape’s peppery and generous nature. Full-bodied but not heavy, this engaging blend lithe tannins and an undercurrent of freshness that make for a gratifying textural experience.
John Szabo MS – Clean and fruity, lively and engaging, with an appealing mix of red and black fruit, also some floral notes. I like the succulence and juiciness on the palate, the saliva-inducing acids, the light but jagged tannins, the sweet wild herbs. Solid length. Really sharp value.
Ken Forrester Renegade 2021, WO Western Cape (Consignment)
$31.83, Noble Estates Wines & Spirits Inc. – Purchase from the Agent
David Lawrason – This is a blend of Rhone varieties – syrah, grenache and mourvedre. It is very much like a Cotes du Rhone if with a bit more energy. Expect ripe plummy/cherry fruit, a meaty/charcuterie note, fresh herbs and considerable minerality, which shows particularly on the finish.
Michael Godel – A wine that simply never overdoes, overrides or overarches for extra ambition, nor tries to hard to impress. Clean and crisp to happily crunchy with a multiplicity of big red machine fruits here, there and everywhere.
Blaauwklippen Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch (Vintages March 30 release)
$25.95, Colio Estate Wines
Megha Jandhyala – This is a chance to try a delightfully dense, yet balanced, decidedly South African iteration of cabernet sauvignon, made by winemaker Narina Cloete. Temptingly ripe red and dark fruit are joined by savoury, spicy notes here, in a pleasing, resonant harmony.
David Lawrason – This offers impressive lift, complexity and structure for the price. There is also iron-like/ferrous minerality I find in Stellenbosch examples. Expect classic blackcurrant/cassis, fresh mint/shrubby greenness with background oak resin and sweetness. Some crusty tannin, but essentially ready to enjoy with hearty red meats/BBQ, yet a good seven years of life ahead.
John Szabo MS – A notably smoky-savoury example of cabernet sauvignon with that uniquely South African iodine flavour, also very ripe fruit in the black and even blue spectrum. Concentration and ripeness are evident from start to finish, while tannins are supple and acids creamy. Length and depth are very good to excellent, finishing on a lick of sweet oak spice and char.
Great Heart Cabernet Sauvignon 2020, WO Stellenbosch (Vintages March 30 release)
$38.00, Nicholas Pearce Wines Inc.
Megha Jandhyala – This is a flavourful, balanced, and classically savoury, herbaceous cabernet sauvignon, ready to drink and likely to please broadly. What I really like about the Great Heart project is that it makes it possible for one to enjoy delicious, well-made wines whilst supporting a commendable initiative. The label focusses on sustainability in a holistic sense, aiming to protect the natural environment and empower staff members. It is collectively owned and managed by employees of Mullineux & Leeu Passant wineries, and proceeds from its sales are shared amongst them.
Michael Godel – Performs as an “ode to what was once a fixture of style in the Western Cape, albeit with modern beauty, current sensibility and truths spoken.” Cassis and fynbos, tradition and progressive spirit. Quality combinations in all respects, forever searching for great heart in South Africa.
John Szabo MS – Another ‘cool climate’ example of cabernet from Stellenbosch in the Mullineux/Leeu Passant style with proper varietal green/herbal/vegetal (pyrazine) character, in the best way. I like the sleek palate, the juicy acids, perhaps not the most complex example, but intensely drinkable all the same.
Iona One Man Band Red 2018, WO Elgin (Vintages December 2, 2023 release)
$36.25 Nicholas Pearce Wines
Sara d’Amato – An engaging blend of syrah, petit verdot, mourvèdre and viognier which prove quite complimentary in this assemblage of cool Elgin origin. Features a balanced degree of alcohol, a crunch of sea salt and plenty of dark fruit to the permeate the finish of memorable length.
Michael Godel – Moderate alcohol and elevated acidity are part of the composition and this wine plays a sort of fusion style of jazz. Really brassy, notes peak and they go low, but mostly this is about extended play. A jam if you will, part Prince and part Sufjan Stevens.
Good to go!
godello
This feature was commissioned by Wines of South Africa. As a regular feature, WineAlign tastes wines submitted by a single winery, agent or region. Our writers independently, as always, taste, review and rate the wines — good, bad and indifferent, and those reviews are posted on WineAlign. We then independently recommend wines to appear in the article. Wineries, wine agents, or regions pay for this service. Ads for some wines may appear at the same time, but the decision on which wines to put forward in our report, and its content, is entirely up to WineAlign.