700 words about South Africa
The reason South Africa is a difficult sell to American consumers is that there has never been a single driving force behind the promotion of any one region. Comparing Stellenbosch and Swartland is like comparing a vintage Cadillac with a Tesla (or in Wine Press speak, Duckhorn with Division). The country’s banner varietal is Chenin Blanc (aka Steen). But stylistically, there are as many versions as there are vineyards. This is why giving the elevator pitch for South Africa isn’t as easy as it would be for Napa or the Columbia Valley.
While there are many winemaking regions in South Africa, the two most well-known are Stellenbosch and Swartland. Though I think we should expect more from Darling and Tulbagh in the next decade, should we make it out of this one.
In post-Apartheid Stellenbosch untended vines were abandoned. Old vines were torn out and replanted with the more desirable Bordeaux varietals. Larger producers developed name brands and began mass-producing wines for the export market. They sought to replicate styles of wine that catered to that largest population of consumers. This is why if you have any association with South African wine, it’s likely of red blends or high-intensity Chenin Blanc.
While mass production drove profit in Stellenbosch, the region was not without prestige. Just to its southwest sits the most prominent vineyard in South Africa, Constantia, founded in 1685. At their height, Constantia wines were some of the most renowned in the world. But the death of its founder, Simon van der Stel, saw the land divided. The most successful legacy, Groot Constantia, was able to achieve success but nothing like its namesake’s original bottlings.
Similarly, to the northwest, in lesser-known Swartland, old vines continued to grow untouched in the hot, dry climate. Over time, independent producers interested in making a different style of wine moved into the region. Lacking in (or unencumbered by) any corporate funding, smaller operations sought to cultivate existing vines and make, in essence, a more old-world style of wine (Burgundian ethics with Rhône varietals).
The result of this intention paved the way for The Swartland Revolution. Officially titled SIP (Swartland Independent Producers), this collective established a set of standards for itself whereby interventions such as reverse osmosis, acidification, and certain oak treatments were expressly forbidden.
These Swartlanders were interested in quality, not quantity. They wanted their wine to be an honest reflection of terroir. Not a bad idea when you’re talking about some of the planet’s oldest and unsullied soils. But when you go down their list of criteria, it’s clear that these winemakers were simply throwing up their middle fingers at Stellenbosch. Low-intervention practices, Bordeaux varietals not allowed to the party, indigenous yeasts only.
What does this mean? It means that the fruit needs to be practically perfect because the winemaker won’t be allowed to interfere very much once harvest is over. But isn’t this what we want? Rhetorical question. So, should we cast Stellenbosch and their mechanized ways aside? Well, not exactly, because what’s happening now is that winemakers are beginning to see the market change.
In the last fifteen years, especially the last five, educated consumers like yourself are realizing that the really interesting stuff comes from smaller producers. Really memorable wines are ones that have been hand crafted from the start. Winemakers like Adi Badenhorst or Andrea Mullineux are making sure that they represent Swartland honestly as stewards of the land, not manipulators of the grape.
The moral of the story here is one of value. Because the Western Cape of South Africa hasn’t formed a singular identity, there are a lot of quality wines that people simply don’t know about yet. If you’ve tried any of our Storm Point or Force Celeste wines, you know what I’m talking about. But this doesn’t mean you should discount Cabernet Sauvignon like the Braai. Right now it’s easy to experiment with new wines without breaking the bank. But this lack of notoriety is fading slowly. So, the next time you’re in the shop, I encourage you to reach for something South African. Ask us about the producers we carry, and I bet we send you home with a new favorite.
