South Africa- Old Soul, New World

Poised at the southern tip of the great African continent, South Africa is a land of breathtaking natural beauty and stunning possibilities for wine making.  It produces some of the best value wines on the market, and in some cases, it offers glimpses of what fine wine is like for a relatively light price tag.  In the (in my opinion) antiquated vocabulary of the wine world, South Africa is 'New World', meaning essentially anything outside a poorly defined area of the Eurasian supercontinent, but in it's heart, it is an old soul to be sure.

I qualify this of course, by mentioning the fact that South Africa is particularly prolific in the realms of producing big, jammy Shiraz, much-maligned Pinotage and plenty of other distinctively 'New World' wines.  But I believe that there is so much more to this dynamic region, capable of displaying excellent, classic examples of any given grape's potential.

I'll give a few examples of wines I believe show the old world soul of South Africa as a wine-producing country.  Thelema Mountain Vineyards, for instance, produces a line of marvelous wines in the most traditional of veins.  Thelema's Cabernet Sauvignon, though only 6 years old, is already showcasing what an elegantly aged Cabernet should be.  It is full of dark cherries, a hint of the fruit once prevalent, but the nose is now dominated by saddle leather and farm soil, with notes of mint and a minerality; characteristic of old-school Cabernet from Bordeaux or Bergerac.  The Merlot is like a wonderfully aged Pomerol, with big dark chocolate, velvety, grippy tannins and the gaminess lacking in Merlot from many other new world countries.

Very few producers are as committed to traditional style wines as Anthony Hamilton Russell.  In blind tastings, many thought his Chardonnay was an Olivier Leflaive white Burgundy.  His Pinot Noir is fragrantly floral as a red Burgundy should be.

But the best example, for me, is the affinity South African producers show for the varieties of the Rhône Valley.  In some ways, the shortcomings of many producers in the southern Rhône, in particular Châteauneuf-du-Pape, is highlighted by the successes of beautifully structured, well-balanced blends based on the Southern Rhône's holy trinity of Shiraz, Grenache and Mourvèdre.  Maintaining the Châteauneuf tradition of adding anything to the blend which might help, Malagas producer Sijnn (pron. 'sane') has crafted a red which shows a very modern vision for a very Old World wine.  Blending Shiraz and Mourvèdre, with the surprising appearance of Portuguese grapes in the form of Touriga Nacional, Trincadeira and a seasoning dash of Cabernet Sauvignon.  The end result; a beautiful classic which, in my opinion shows us what Châteauneuf should be!

Beyond that, producers of fine wines in South Africa are confident in their abilities and they clearly show a great level of innovation as they pursue the best expressions of their wines, whether its a Rhône blend, a Cabernet or even the inspiring Vin de Constance.  They are classics, and while the term New World applies for reasons of convenience and pure tradition, in practicality, the best of South Africa is old at heart.

"But George," you might say, "hasn't California also been trying to make old-world style wines for ages as well, but still they're New World?"  Well the answer is most certainly yes.  Perhaps what I'm going for is that a notion of Old and New Worlds from the age of Ferdinand and Isabella may be out of date.  Even France produces wine which a blind taster would think to be New World, and in a way, it is.  It is a style more than anything else.  South Africa as a wine-producing country deserves a bit more credit for it's classic styles of wine, and I hope you will agree with me, that if South African Wine were a person, it would certainly be an old soul.

Much Love,
G