Fresh from a tour of the Cape winelands I feel animated as
never before about the wines of South Africa. Not only is this the most
exciting wine producing country in the “New World” in my view, it is a country with a rich cultural history and heritage unlike any
other.
Despite a winemaking legacy that originated in Constantia in
the late 1600s, what we consider now as the beginning of the modern era began
in 1994 at the end of apartheid and the country’s re-emergence at an
international level. Well-established wine estates
such as Kanonkop, Meerlust, Vergelegen, Rustenberg, Boschendal, Hamilton
Russell, Klein Constantia, Rust en Vrede and others were reinvigorated and set
the tone for the new, outward looking wine industry, building more established,
consistent brands that became reasonably successful. Unfortunately, that did
little to stem the tide of the newly tradeable, poor-quality bulk wine from
virus-ridden vineyards that was still to mark South Africa’s card for at least
the next decade. The political and economic
freedoms in the new South Africa would not herald the rebirth of a truly great
wine industry for a few years yet. For in the post-apartheid decade, it’s fair
to say that priorities, naturally, laid more in building improved legal and
political infrastructures, curbing entrenched racial and economic inequality,
and refining the country’s reputation on the world stage; issues that endure to
this day and that no other serious wine producing country needs to face up to
in quite the same way.
Add to that a domestic population that prefers beer and hard
spirits to wine, and a poor economic base worsened by endemic alcohol abuse,
and it is hardly surprising that the reinvention of the South African fine wine
scene has been a little bumpy. However, it does make the rise of what is now
known as the “New Wave” movement over the past ten years all the more
impressive. The momentum behind this relatively small group of producers, led
first by Eben Sadie and later joined by Adi Badenhorst, David & Nadia,
Mullineux, Alheit Vineyards, Duncan Savage, Restless River et al, is tantamount
to a winemaking revolution more magnificent than anywhere else in the world. In
their drive to elevate quality and put their country’s best wines on the map
(with the UK at the heart of that success), the influence of this merry band
has rippled far and wide, to such an extent that major South African brands,
despite selling oceanic volumes of wine, have been through a period of introspection
over the past five years, and to a certain extent, hung on the coat tails of
the “New Wave” generation. The record number of attendees at Cape Wine 2018 for
example - the principal South African wine expo held every three years - were
not drawn, in my opinion, to fly across the world to taste the leading
commercial brands or bulk wine, but instead to experience the conviviality and
collegiate spirit of the young “New Wave” producers who, despite having tiny
volumes at their disposal, are intentionally or otherwise pulling the entire
South African wine industry up by the bootstraps.
My tastings over the past two years, and recent trip across
South Africa, leave me feeling that if 1994 and the ensuing years were those
that opened-up South Africa in real-world terms – the first phase - and, in
wine trade circles, the past decade has been defined by a second New Wave wine
movement, then 2019 surely sees the beginning of a post-New Wave South Africa;
a third phase, whereby the huge brands have diminished influence and the goals
of the “New Wave” movement have more or less been achieved. Difficult to
measure of course, but it’s clear that the current cohort of top producers have
garnered genuine admiration for the quality of their small-production wines, from
both a critical and commercial standpoint, even if they represent only a
fraction of the market as a whole. In doing so, they have put South Africa
firmly on the map and re-buffed international perceptions. If the country is to
take itself seriously though and really compete with the world’s best, as it
has every potential to, the middle ground must improve. Bulk wine in
particular, and the average bottle price, continues to be amongst the cheapest
anywhere in the world. Understandably, encouraging grape farmers to persevere
with small volumes of old vine fruit in favour of higher yielding, accessible
varieties in a time of increasing production costs, on both a human and
climatic level, is difficult. And although quality focused producers are
willing to pay more for the grapes they source in order to safeguard the
quality of fruit and vineyard itself, they are a footnote in the context of the
wider wine industry. Greater investment is needed to find a balance between
healthy volumes and good quality wine. What is for sure is that a bottle of
wine should not cost less than a bottle of water. If the wine industry is to be
a flagbearer for the country’s produce, then it’s clear that grape prices and
bottle prices need to rise to enable proper investment in quality viticulture
and vinification and support viable long-term growth. Consumer confidence is
already improving but it needs the middle ground to make it a more sustainable,
long term prospect.
For all that though, at the top end, where our interest really
lies, real quality in “fine wine” terms appears stable and the wines reflect
natural vintage variances with clarity and honesty, which makes for some very
compelling wines. For these, the top 5-10% of small wine producers, it is now
time to harness that original “New Wave” dynamic spirit and the current stream
of press and consumer support and ensure that the foundations are laid down not
just for the next decade but for the coming generations. My impression across
the thirty or so wineries I visited is that amongst those there is a palpable
sense of self-esteem building, and that we are living in a golden age when it
comes to the development of South African “fine” wine.
But crucially, as conscientious producers are acutely aware,
it is history, consistency and steady investment that makes a wine-region truly
great. Globally, educated consumers have a broader range of excellent wine to
choose from than ever before and in order to cement South Africa’s place as a
serious contender in the minds of genuine wine lovers, producers must now seek
to take the country’s immense terroir really seriously by drilling deeper in to
and better communicating the specifics of region, sub-region and site with the
confidence of their European (or Californian) counterparts. South Africans can
be so proud of the Cape’s stock of incredible old vineyards, which produce some
of the most thrilling and vibrant wines to be found anywhere. They are rightly
fighting to protect it. It would be amazing to see some of these regions properly
mapped from topography, soil and vine age perspectives, taking inspiration from
the vineyard maps of Bordeaux, Burgundy, Piedmont and Germany’s leading wine
regions.
Alongside access to beautiful old vineyards, a great
opportunity at wine producers’ disposal is the freedom to plant entirely new
and/or refocus on historic cultivars that might prove naturally better equipped
to deal with near-assuredly challenging climatic conditions that prevail in
South Africa. Developments on these fronts are especially interesting and have
the potential to unlock so much latent potential when it comes to expressing a
sense of place. I see little merit in chasing an international style that
doesn’t speak to South Africa’s natural identity. Both the challenge and the thrill
of the current era is being willing and/or able to explore and identify what
that really means. It can be mightily helpful, but critical acclaim doesn’t
assure continued commercial success. It has to first have a firm foundation in
wines and styles that will stand the test of time. Trends come and go.
Happily, this process is well-underway in many places, and
the plethora of delicious wines and great people I encountered during harvest
2019 constitute some of the most educational and enjoyable tastings I have been
a part of.