The Oak Valley Merlot Cabernet Blend 2008

The Oak Valley Merlot Cabernet Blend 2008

Oak Valley wines come from Oak Valley Estate in Elgin, situated in the mountains above Somerset West. This historic, forested farm is home to the Rawbone- Viljoen family and their hive of industry managing flowers, fruit orchards, Wagyu and Simmentaler beef, acorn- fed pork and world- class wines.

Wine at Oak Valley

The farm was founded by Sir Antonie Viljoen in 1898, and was the first commercial farm in Elgin.

In 1904 the first grapes were planted. Wine geeks would be super impressed to learn that these were in fact Cinsaut (Hermitage), Semillon (Green Grape) and Palomino ( Fransdruif, usually used in the production of Sherry).

The first Grapes planted were Cinsaut (Hermitage), Semillon (Green Grape) and Palomino ( Fransdruif)

His wine cellar was built in 1907 having begun selling fruit to a local co- op.

To this day Oak Valley use industrious farming techniques, and Sir Antonie could have been one of the first farmers to cold- ferment his wines. He did this through running pipes of natural running water over and around his fermentation tanks. Cold fermentation takes longer to complete, but better quality wine is produced.

The first wine of renown was called, 'Dry Imperial'- a Cinsaut- based sparkling wine made by Douglas Green, a winemaker who had studied champagne- making in France. 

The first wine of renown was called, 'Dry Imperial'- a Cinsaut- based sparkling wine made by Douglas Green

Through till the early 1980's grape production dwindled due to strict quotas imposed by the KWV, or, “Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Suid-Afrika” (Afrikaans for "Co-operative Winemakers' Society of South Africa"). There was a mere 4 hectares of Cinsaut left.

Then in 1985,  Merlot, Pinot Noir, Weisser Riesling, Schönburger, Chardonnay, Gewürztraminer, Pinot Gris and Sauvignon Blanc was planted on the farm by the government wine research division, Nietvoorbij. In 1988 when the first good crops came in it was clear that the grapes that fared best were Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

At the same time, the famous Gunter Brözel from Nederburg approached Oak Valley and Paul Cluver to try and form a joint venture with Nederburg. This was mainly to acquire good quality Riesling grapes. The first wines were bottled and co- branded between Paul Cluver and Nederberg.

Oak Valley decided to pursued its interests elsewhere, and sold grapes to Bouchard Finlaysson who took Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir and Merlot grapes. Some of these wines achieved great accolades.

Oak Valley's first major wines of the modern era were collaboration wines between themselves and Bouchard Finlaysson

Elgin is an inland plateau over 300 meters above sea level. The climate year- round is similar to that of Bordeaux in France. Conditions are cool, which means that grapes get to spend much more time on the vine. They thus achieve a better state of ripeness where tannins and various other chemical compounds are more balanced and contribute better to the color, flavor, and aroma of the wine.

The Grapes

The blend is made from 47% Merlot, 40% Cabernet Franc and 13% Cabernet Sauvignon grapes.

Merlot is sometimes referred to as an, 'eskimo' due to it's favoring cooler growing conditions. It ripens quickly, and benefits greatly from longer time on the vine. Initially planted in Stellenbosch, it has proved an awkward wine to master. Physiological ripeness at harvest is reached very quickly in warmer areas results in high alcohols which overshadow the delicate, fresh red fruit appeal of the variety.

To compensate for the fullness of fruit, some farmers harvest too early and often sacrifice full flavour development. Resulting, 'green' flavours ensue. 

This grape ripens well in Elgin and achieves a great balance between delicate fruit character and acidity. Over all the other regions' Merlots I have tried, there is a defined finesse that is achieved with this variety in Elgin.

Oak Valley Merlot vineyards are low- yielding, producing grapes that add finesse and good concentration to the blend

I found the same with Cabernet Franc which also shows better definition of fruit flavours, more evident acidity and lower alcohols. The Cabernet Franc vineyards are higher- yielding and younger than the Merlot vines.

Cabernet Sauvignon needs a lot of sun to ripen properly, and due to the oft- overcast conditions in Elgin (resulting from the South- Easter bringing cloud cover to the valley for much of the growing season) it does ripen slowly and sometimes not at all. I therefore feel that it does not fare as well as the other 2 more delicate, earlier ripening varieties.

A great cool vs. warm- climate exercise one can try at home is to compare a warm- climate wine (Stellenbosch, Paarl or Swartland) with an Elgin single- variety red wine from the same vintage

Lower temperatures in cool- climate areas preserve acidity, and grapes take longer to ripen on the vine. Tart fruit flavours are more evident, wines are more gentle and tannins on red wines are perceived to be softer. Wines are also alot more vintage- specific in cooler areas.

The 2008 vintage red blend from Oak Valley is currently drinking superbly.

The Wine

Made from Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Cabernet Sauvignon this is one of the Wines that shone for me recently when I attended the Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival. 

On that day I was also really impressed with the Shannon Mount Bullet Merlot,  Hannay Cabernet Franc (Oak Valley Fruit)  and Catherine Marshall's Merlot. 

In an environment conducive to making elegant wines,  grapes that produce softer wines naturally perform well in this region.

During and after fermentation,  the grapes were gently extracted before being matured in 70% new French oak and the rest 2nd- fill (older) barrels. 

I believe that the 2008 is just peaking now and shows incredible balance of fruit,  sugar,  acidity and soft,  supple tannins. 

The 2008 Merlot Cabernet blend has matured well, and is drinking beautifully

Borrowing some notes from the winemakers fact sheets,  the wine shows darker fruit flavours of ripe mulberry and blueberry- fruit descriptors more in common with Wines from the northern part of Elgin. 
Red wines from across the N2 highway towards the south of the plateau produce Wines showing flavours of red berries like Strawberry and fresh raspberry. 

Cabernet  Franc gives the wine a lovely mint- butterscotch richness, and Cabernet Sauvignon adds body and structure to the wine (mainly through tannin and fruit focus/ concentration). 

The wine is best enjoyed with one of Chef Jacques Theron's grass- fed beef burgers at the Pool Room Restaurant, open now Tuesday till Sundays. 

The Pool Room at Oak Valley

Oak Valley Merlot Cabernet blend 2008 is drinking very well now,  and will continue to intrigue over the next 5 years if you have the patience. 

Blackwater Cultellus Syrah 2012- Single Vineyard Swartland Syrah

Blackwater Cultellus Syrah MMXII (2012)

Francois Haasbroek who makes Blackwater Wine spent several celebrated years championing the cause at Waterford. He now consults with a few well- known wineries including Muratie, Bloemendal and Marianne. While he was working at Waterford he began a project making his own wine in rented cellar space near Joostenberg, Stellenbosch. Blackwater wines came into being in 2010.

With an outset of dry tannin and good acidity, the wines aren't full bodied and weighty, but rather fresh and vibrant across both the white and red ranges. Single vineyard wines are characteristically harvested earlier than many other farmers so that more acidity can be harnessed. Grapes for blends are picked at different times, adding extra complexity to these wines too.

Mostly older barrels are used to age the red wines, and maturation can last from 14- 28 months. Some of the barrels are really old, giving a neutral flavour- so its really more about fruit, acidity and grape tannin in the wine. This leaves wines much lighter in appearance due to the precipitation of colour. Wines aged for longer periods tend to lack pronounced aromatics as well. For Francois its all about the palate.

Fruit is sourced from the best vineyard sites across the winelands in Ashton, Durbanville, Darling, Stellenbosch, the Swartland and Elgin. There's even some Carignan being sourced from a secret location, the whereabouts being guarded by 'Omerta', a mafia vow of silence.

The Cultellus Syrah comes from the Kasteelberg in the Swartland near Riebeeck Kasteel, from a single vineyard with Schist soils.

Schist Soils. Other notable areas in the world for these types of soils are Faugeres in France and Priorat in Spain.

Schist is a laminated, crystalline rock based soil that retains heat well and is rich in minerals but poor in other nutrients. In the vineyard the rocks and stones look like little knives.

Grapes usually ripen well, and due to the lack of nutrients the roots will have to grow quite deep, imparting a mineral quality to the wine often described as 'graphite'.  Syrah wines are usually supple (soft tannin), bold and fine textured.

Having tasted a few South African Rhone varietal wines from Schist soils, I also find a characteristic sweet black cherry note as a main fruit descriptor.

The vines are all trellised and un- irrigated.

Cultellus is a derivative of the Latin word Culter meaning knife. It means a small knife or dagger, referring to the appearance of the schist soils where it is grown.

Amazingly, the Cultellus Syrah is harvested around 2 weeks earlier than many other Syrah vineyards grown nearby such as the famous Mullineux Schist Syrah vineyard next door to it. This is evident in the wine's low alcohol of 13.4%.

Just 3 old 500l barrels are made of this wine, and the wine is naturally fermented. After a 4 week fermentation the wine goes into the large- format barrels and is aged for 24 months.

Blackwater is a reference to tannic cape mountain water which is stained almost black with plant tannin after heavy rainfall. 

In line with Francois' desired flavour profile, I found the wine to be noticeably fresh with a delicate acidity and soft, dry tannins. There were no loud Syrah aromatics on the wine at all, but just a whiff of graphite, fresh berry and earth.

Its still tight and holding alot back. Its going to be interesting to see what other complexities this intriguing wine will add to the current Maraschino cherry, tar (in a good way) and sweet spice notes I picked up on the palate.

Blackwater Cultellus Syrah is available at a discerning merchant near you or on the website here: Blackwater Wine. Or just post a comment and I'll get in touch with you. 

Chenin Blanc, Chenin Blends

Chenin Blanc, Chenin Blends

Having had the privilege of tasting and working with two of the Cape 's most famous Wines in recent times,  the Alheit Vineyards Cartology (Chenin Blanc/ Semillon) and Radio Lazarus Chenin Blanc- and having explored many other Chenin and Chenin based blends since, I feel that here we have a distinct style of wine and a grape variety which could potentially give proper definition to our region as a whole internationally.

There is a relatively new and general interest among Cape winemakers into producing these 2 wines- straight Chenin,  and Chenin Blanc blended with a combination of the following- Semillon,  Chardonnay,  several white southern french varietals and an occasional dash of Sauvignon Blanc.

Back in 2007 when I started learning about wine,  one of my milestone Wines was a Ken Forester FMC 2002, made from a single vineyard- organically managed- bush vine vineyard planted in 1974.  This big,  robust Chenin Blanc showed remarkable finesse and texture along with the significant body and fruit. 

Wines that have stood out since then include Jordan Chenin Blanc,  Vondeling Babiana,  Rudera Chenin Blanc, AA Badenhorst family white,  Sadie Family Wines Palladius and recently the Keermont Vineyards Terrasse blend.

Swartland Chenin Blanc bush vines.

Old bush vines used for Rudera Chenin Blanc

Having read up about old vine Chenin, I discovered that  South Africa has a large percentage of the world's Chenin Blanc and it was one of the first grapes planted by Jan Van Riebeeck (alongside Pontac and Muscat) in the 17th century. A massive amount of heritage value is attached to this variety.

Much of the Chenin hype in recent times has been around older vineyards of Chenin.  Many Stellenbosch winemakers,  and notably young winemakers in the Swartland region have restored and nurtured older vineyards- many leased from other farmers- to producing good quality fruit.
Much of the fruit comes from bush vines,  planted in the 'Gibelet'  method whereby the vine looks like a little tree.  This inhibits water evaporation in hotter areas,  and is better or the vine in nutrient deficient soils.
These older Vineyards produce smaller berries and fewer bunches of grapes. Correct pruning is also key to vineyard management. Wines produced tend to be more complex in flavour,  achieve natural balance,  reflect terroir better,  and a distinct,  mouth- filling texture. Concentration and complexity is also helped by a tending towards natural fermentation.
Many older vineyards are also unirrigated, resulting in less dilution of flavour as well.
Many commercial farmers will pull older vines out in favour of younger,  higher yielding vines,  but local producers of premium wine offerings are preserving these older vines and offering a higher price per hectare to the farmers. It is estimated that around 370 hectares of older Chenin Blanc still remains (older than 30 yrs or so).

Chenin Blanc is a very versatile grape,  it blends well with other varieties,  reflects terroir very well,  and can be made in many styles. In its traditional home in France it creates sweet to bone- dry Wines in Vouvray,  Quarts De Chaume and Sauvenieres.
In South Africa the Chenin Blanc Association lists 6 important styles:
- fresh and fruity
- Rich and ripe unwooded
- rich and ripe wooded
- rich and ripe slightly sweet
- sweet
- sparkling

18% of grapes grown in South Africa are Chenin Blanc grapes.   A big percentage of the wines made are table wines and international perception of South Africa Chenin has been of cheap,  cheerful white wines,  often unwooded. The big challenge going forward is to first convince a fickle local market that these wines are worth their oft slightly higher prices. To the detriment of the industry,  our value offering has been marketed more than premium ones.

In creating a global identity,  much can be said for these wines.  A sense of place and heritage is very important,  and this box is ticked.  Quality is good.  Style will be varied but I think the wines put forward as our signature,  global flagship should be along the lines of many of the Swartland offerings - naturally fermented Wines,  fermented dry and matured in older barrels. I think that heavily wooded wines- despite being very delicious- do not reflect terroir as much as I'd like. Chenin is more delicate than Chardonnay,  and doesn't need overt oak invest to express itself more fully.

A unified approach to making a specific style,  and agreeing on a single cultivar is always going to be a challenge for South African winemakers. And this coupled with a need  for higher volumes of our class offerings is what holds the region back from establishing an international footprint in much the same way New Zealand did with Sauvignon Blanc.

These are exciting wines. Important Stellenbosch pioneers of mainly single varietal Chenin Blanc include Ken Forester,  Rudera, Raats,  Mulderbosch, De Trafford,  Bellingham and De Morgenzon.
Much new hype and excitement around Chenin has however come from out of the Swartland in recent times. Young winemakers are making delicious chenin- based blends with white Rhone varieties,  Chardonnay and occasional Sauvignon Blanc and Verdelho components as well.
Pioneers include AA Badenhorst Wines, Sadie Family Wines,  Lammershoek and mullineux Wines.

Keermont Vineyards Terrasse

Keermont Vineyards in Stellenbosch adds another take on this unique regional offering with their Keermont Terrasse white,  a blend of 40 year old vine Chenin Blanc, younger Chardonnay,  Chenin, and Viognier,  and then a dash of 26 year old Sauvignon Blanc.
This is Stellenbosch 's answer - if I may- to the  Swartland blends.

With a long history of grape growing,  the Blaauwklippen valley in Stellenbosch is home to Dornier,  Waterford,  Kleinood,  Stellenzicht and De Trafford wineries.  Keermont is right at the top of the valley and was founded in 2006, with younger vines being panted in 2005 to add to the older blocks.
Their maiden vintage was in 2007 and the wine cellar was built in 2010.

The upper Blaauwklippen Valley, Stellenbosch

Natural and attentive vineyard management,  coupled with a minimal intervention approach in the wine cellar is conducive to working with the high quality fruit that comes into the cellar. 

Grapes are all harvested according to optimal ripeness,  naturally fermented in older barrels and matured  for 12 months for optimal integration of fruit,  acidity and body.

I found the wine to be fresh,  ripe and citrussy with gorgeous length,  and a nice zest edge on the finish. Acidity is not aggressive,  but we'll integrated and racy.  This may have been overshadowed by too much Oak. There's a nice mineral,  chalky earthiness to the wine reminiscent of some of the better Swartland examples I have tried.

13 barrels of Keermont Terrasse were made,  and it retails for around R120.00. An absolute steal for such a great wine- from the farm or at a discerning liquor store near you.

It is currently available at Catharina's, Aubergine,  Thornton Whites,  Majeka House and Rust En Vrede restaurants.  If you don't visit any of these,  enjoy a glass at Publik wine bar in Cape Town city centre. 

In this article I have emphasized the importance of old bush vines in the production of some of the top Chenin and Chenin blends. Indeed for the more remote offerings they are important,  and need to be looked after to sustain the production of some of our flagship Wines in South Africa. 

We are still blessed with a lot of  younger Chenin,  and I am looking forward to seeing better Wines in the middle price range being made.
Many other Rhone varieties are being planted and other interesting single varietal Wines are being made.  I recently tried a Craven Clairette Blanche from Stellenbosch and it was superb. Blackwater Wine have a limited edition Bourboulenc on offer,  a Languedoc grape.

Chenin Blanc still makes a great value for money wine, and should continue to do so. It's a crowd pleaser and more of the market should explore it as a household wine.  It's what I drink through summer as a table wine.

Then in the more complex and interesting expressions of this grape and it's blends there really is a good case that can be made for its being put forward as our distinctly South African flagship. Something classy,  as I feel Pinotage will never fully recover it's reputation. Pinotage is only ever great at the super premium level of production,  and doesn't carry the consistency through all levels of quality as Chenin can.

ELGIN

ELGIN

Elgin is a lush plateau above Somerset West known for producing 60%of the national apple crop and increasingly some of our best wines.

The area is named after the original farm in the area, 'Glen Elgin'.

Glen Elgin Station. Not far from Cape Town

The Palmiet River flows through much of the area.

This year I attended the Elgin Cool Wine and Country Festival http://www.elginwine.co.za/ to gain a better understanding of the area and it's wines. This is a festival well worth attending. It is held in April each year and is a great way to taste wines from all the Elgin farms, as many are still only accessed by appointment. I must also mention that it was really affordable to attend, and we didn't come across any major crowds at the tasting rooms.

Wine grapes were first planted by Sir Antonie Viljoen, forefather of the Oak Valley Estate, which still produces some of the regions best Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. He first planted Semillon, Palomino and Cinsaut, and built the first Elgin wine cellar in 1907. Currently, prominent grape varieties in Elgin include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay,  Pinot Noir and some of the Bordeaux red varieties. Merlot has in fact fared better here than anywhere else in the Cape, and this caught my attention in particular.

Elgin rests 300m on average above sea level. It's an area of cooler temperatures than surrounding wine regions (5- 10 degrees in fact) with an average yearly temperature of just over 18 degrees. On the winkler scale which classifies wine regions according to climate, Elgin is compares with Bordeaux in France, and some other European and New Zealand areas. Grapes spend up to a month longer on the vine than in surrounding regions, which leads to better development of physiological ripeness in the grapes ( more integrated natural acidity, developed, fresher flavours and gentler tannin).

                          

                           

2 farms with the longest track record of wine production in Elgin are Oak Valley and Paul Cluver, both at the northern end of Elgin close to the town of Grabouw, and the Peregrine Farm Stall. Planting of vines in the modern era began in 1985 with an experimental block at Oak Valley. the first commercial wines from Elgin in the modern era were made by Nederberg under their own label, with. Paul Cluver Fruit.

In 1991 Oak Valley collaborated with the then new Bouchard Finlaysson cellar up the Hemel- en- Aarde valley, and contributed to their now infamous Blanc de Mer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

90's collaboration between Oak Valley and Bouchard Finlaysson.

                                     

On the recent visit, we first checked out Shannon Vineyards. Wines are made by Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson from Newton Johnson wine estate in the Hemel-En-Aarde Valley. the grapes are farmed by renowned viticulturalist James Downes who supplies many other producers as well including Catherine Marshall and Blackwater (Francois Haasbroek). James brother Stuart manages the wine sales and marketing, and he took us through a vertical tasting of their Pinot Noirs first, and then their Noble Late Harvest Pinot Noir, ' Mecushla'. It was most interesting to see the vintage variation on these wines. 2009 and 2012 stood out for me.

An epic vertical at Shannon Vineyards.

                         

Pinot Noir makes a delicate wine, and favours cooler conditions. The average growing season temperature in Elgin is 17.5 degrees Celsius which is as cool as many well known European regions.

Other great Pinots from the valley included the Oak Valley Pinot Noir 2012, Paul Cluver 2012, Paul Cluver Seven Flags 2012 and  Catherine Marshall Reserve 2012. A great surprise on the day was a 2005 Stellenbosch wine made by Catherine Marshall for the BWC ( Barefoot Wine Co.) near Ridgeback winery in Wellington.

Some other epic Pinot Noirs from the day.

                        

My favorite wine of the day though was the Shannon Mount Bullet Merlot, named after a pointy mountain to the south of their vineyards.

Merlot is a much scorned grape in the wine circles I hang out in. Sometimes referred to as an 'eskimo'due to it's favoring cooler growing conditions, Merlot ripens quickly, and benefits greatly from longer time on the vine. Initially planted in Stellenbosch, it has proved an awkward wine to master. Physiological ripeness at harvest is reached in warmer areas resulting in high alcohols which overshadow Merlots delicate, fresh red fruit appeal. To compensate, some farmers harvest early and sacrifice full flavour development. Resulting 'green' flavours ensue. Some wineries also emphasize too much extraction on Merlot grapes, with 4-5 or more punch downs a day.

In wine however there are always contradictions to the popular opinion, and 3 'new world style'. Merlots which show balance despite their power and concentration are Camberley Elm Tree Merlot, Thelema and old Veenwouden wines.

I prefer a more delicate, old- world French Bordeaux style of Merlot emphasizing good acidity, dry tannin, fresh red fruit, flinty minerality and a silky texture.

Gordon Newton Johnson makes his wine with a, 'minimal winemaking intervention approach', with only 2 punch downs a day. It's also naturally fermented.

The Mount Bullet Merlot is my best example of South African Merlot, and indeed leans more towards the French style. In distinguishing this wine though, I did find it had more concentrated dark fruit notes than true old world Merlot.

South Africa's best Merlot? I think so.

                                    

Other great Merlot wines tasted on the day were Oak Valley's Merlot Cabernet Blend 08, Shannon's export Merlot 2012, and Catherine Marshall's AMATRA Merlot 2012.

Elgin Merlot. WATCH THIS SPACE.

                          

Other notable wines I have recently sampled were Spioenkop Pinotage, Hannay Cabernet Franc and the Charles Fox MCCs.

Hannay Cabernet Franc made with fruit from the northern edge of Elgin.

                             

Hannay Cabernet Franc really impressed. It was quite complex on the fruit side, soft on alcohol and had all the tell- tale mint humbug, raspberry and tobacco on the nose. It showed a darker fruit palate with evident good acidity. Possibly a dash of Merlot in there as well to soften the wine.

COOL vs WARM CLIMATE debate

When I began learning about wine around 2004/5, a message often preached and to which I largely adhered to was that cool climate wines were better overall than their 'warm climate' counterparts. My yardstick for South African wine was initially Constantia wines, so I got to know cool climate in detail first, particularly Sauvignon Blanc which shows good noticeable variation between areas of different climate. Lean, tart, herbaceous and steely for cool climate, then fruit forward, tropical, broad palate for wines from the warmer areas.

I now know that indeed there are different expressions of wine that can be made from the same grapes, from different climatic areas. Wines are different, and one is not better than the other from differing regions. I do find that I like acidity and freshness in both red and white wines- wines from the traditionally cooler areas. Though I have had many examples of this flavour profile from warmer areas as well. The discussion here is a mainly accurate generalization,but there are always contradictions in wine.

In the sales and marketing business of wine, I found that being cooler makes the pitch of most promoters of respective wine farms. It seems like many farms (at least judging from their sales people) outside of Elgin, constantia, durbanville and the overberg feel a need to justify why some if not all of their wines grow in cooler conditions than the next guy.

COOL is definitely in. But why?

Climatic conditions speed up or slow down the ripening of a grape. Warm, sunny areas produce ripe, fuller fruit, while cooler areas will produce crisper more tart fruit (apparently in some vintages Cabernet Sauvignon in Elgin doesn't even ripen).

More sugars develop in grapes from warm areas, and so certain grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon and Touriga Nacional benefit from the boost of better ripening conditions.

Yeasts consume sugars during fermentation, and convert them into alcohol. More sugar equals more alcohol. In really hot vintages a farmer may try to harvest early to avoid high alcohol levels, but in doing so lose out on a full flavour profile.

Grapes best suited to cooler climates include Riesling, Pinot Noir and Merlot. Grapes are able to spend longer time on the vine, which is better for the development of acidity and subtle flavours. Grapes with thinner skins I found perform really well with longer ripening periods.

Elgin is a cool area. It also experiences significant cloud cover in the summer months. Grapes here are harvested up to 6 weeks later than Stellenbosch, just a few minutes drive away! Wines are often described her as, 'elegant', a slogan for the , 'elegantly Elgin' wine Route.

SAUVIGNON BLANC

Naturally acidic Sauvignon Blanc made some of the first big impressions for the region. The wines are distinctly herbaceous, and some good ones I have tasted recently are Highlands Road, Oneiric and Oak Valley.

Wines with prominent natural acidity such as these can age really well and show best after a few years. 

CONCLUSIONS

This a superb wine region to visit. Most farms are closely situated to each other, and the region itself is 1 hours drive from Cape Town. Most are still accessed by appointment though,so do phone ahead, or attend one of the very affordable festivals held there when all the farms are open.

Restaurants are few but I could recommend FRESH at Paul Cluver, and the Pool Room at Oak Valley. The Perigrine Farm Store has a superb deli and coffee shop. It's well worth a turn. their pies are famous.

Fresh farm produce, terroir- driven Oak Valley wines,  and long lazy afternoons at the pool room.

        

Keep an eye on Elgin Merlot, Cabernet Franc and Shiraz for the reds. Pinot Noir has established itself as the Elgin talisman, but there are so many interesting expressions of other varieties coming through.

Charles Fox MCC is outstanding for a bubbly.

White Grapes to watch are Chenin Blanc. Riesling is being planted more and more which is great, but I think Sauvignon and Chardonnay will continue to stand out as they both perform so well here.

Elgin is still a young area viticulturally. Much of the hype in the wine industry has been centered around the Swartland and some of the more traditional wine regions. I think that as some of the vineyards start to mature beyond 10-15 years the quality of Elgin wines will continue to improve across all the producers.

WINE MAGAZINE '93- '94

WINE MAGAZINE '93- '94

I was really disappointed when WINE Magazine ended their reign which began with an edition in October 1993 and ended in 2011.

As a junior restaurateur in Cape Town, this magazine was a great way of getting to know South African wine and keeping abreast of wine events where I could go and taste new wines. Sadly due to the drop in the popularity of print- media, and there simply being too few wine geeks to sustain an insightful wine publication- the magazine closed its doors, but still maintains a great website WINEMAG.

First edition wine mag. 

My interest was aroused recently when I discovered some older WINE magazines being thrown out by my neighbour. I rescued them, not knowing that these 12 editions were in fact the first releases of WINE mag. The first edition was released in October 1993, with a young, Pieter Ferreira- with an interesting hairstyle- riddling bottles of his famous Graham Beck Brut- on the cover. Back then it was R58.00 for a 12- issue subscription, and R5.00 for a single edition in a store.

Aside from there being a mullet featured on the cover, the magazines were intrigued me in many other ways too. It was really interesting to look into the wine industry at that time.
The list of contributors reads like a South African wine industry hall of fame- Jos Baker, Wendy Toerien, Harold Eedes (Publisher), Michael Fridjhon, John Platter, Dave Hughes, Peter Devereux, Giles Webb, Allan Mullins, Lannice Snyman- basically the collective wine knowledge of the entire planet.

The articles were insightful, and well written. Some were really technical. As a youngster in the industry, I have often perceived the industry of the early nineties to have been quite backwards. I see now that winemakers back then were in fact fairly up- to- date at least with what was happening in the rest of the wine world.
Several wine- tasting panels were constantly bench- marking our wines with internationals. A picture is painted of a rapidly changing industry trying to catch up fast. Individual wines were sticking up their hands and achieving international recognition, though not with the consistency of today. It seems to have been Bordeaux- style blends and Cabernet Sauvignon that made the most noise for us back then.
I was also surprised at the amount of interest shown for international wines- and it seemed there was an availability of affordable imports too- at one stage there was even a Bulgarian wine shop off Greenmarket Square. Many ads were for international wines, and prices seemed relative to our local pricing.

20 YEARS ON- Some cool findings:

(1) Hairstyles

Hair styles- too cool for old school.

(2) Chateau Libertas and Kanonkop

Chateau Libertas was a great wine at one stage. Consisting of Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon, in 1993 it is described as a, 'higher price- bracket wine', and by the SFW MD Ronnie Melck as, 'a wine at ease with itself, lively with the freshness of youth, but with the roundness and depth of a little maturity'. I knew it as a wine at ease with badly behaved students.

Tassenberg came in its standard niche it still currently holds in the market- but contained Pinotage and Cinsaut (Hermitage) back then, so it must have been better? Described as, 'lightbodied with a tremendous following. A no-nonsense easily swigged-down Pinotage-Cinsaut-based blend that did much to change the tastes of the public from sweet to drier wines. If kept, it ages remarkably well”.  More interestingly, in the 90's there was also as a long- lost Reserve version.

(3) Lost Wine Brands. Whatever happened to these interesting brands?:

Landzicht, Stellenryck, Rudman's, Kleindal, Bodega, Eclipse, Uitwerwyck, Fredericksburg, Eersterivier Kelder, Bottelary Ko- Op, Bellingham Sauvenay, Oscar's Reserve. Theres a whole lot more, but these are the only images available.

(4) Wine Prices

I have compared retail prices between 1993/94 and current retail prices for some of the more famous brands:

Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 1991- R37.00
Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir 2013- R337.00

Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel 1990- R23.00
Simonsig Kaapse Vonkel Brut 2012 - R125.00

Meerlust Rubicon 1987 (this was the 1993 current- release!)- R33.00
Meerlust Rubicon 2009- R363.00

Jordan Chameleon White 1993- R14.00
Jordan Chameleon White 2013- R65.00

(5) Extinct Pinot Noirs. Loved these:

Still battling to, though quality has sky- rocketed

(5) Consumer preferences

Consumer ambivalence? Dave made a strong case.

(6) The, 'Cape Blend'

I came across an article in the August '94 edition stating, 'Merlot and Pinotage seem to be battling it out as winemakers' preferred partner for Cabernet Sauvignon, with Shiraz languishing on the side- lines as the search for the typical Cape Blend continues.'
This is still something that baffles me in that with Red Wine we have never developed a unique South African blend.

Signature red blends world- wide are defined by the grape varieties constituting them- Sangiovese to Tuscany, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot to Bordeaux, Mourvedre to Bandol etc.
Perhaps it is the lack of definition and structure offered by our 'native' Pinotage, Nouvelle, Chenel, Roobernet which negates this?
Currently white blends- though- consisting mainly of Chenin Blanc are carving a name on the international wine tree trunk. Its really exciting stuff. many young winemakers are pushing this and i really feel we're going somewhere with this style of wine, incorporating our heritage of a certain variety- Chenin Blanc. There are also old- vine Semillon, Muscat, Palomino and red Semillon constituents which add to the heritage, and flavour aspect.

I believe our diversity is our strength perhaps, but regarding a defined, unique South African flagship red, here's an uncanny insight from MW Liz Berry from 1994, 'South Africa doesn't want to be a market follower so i suggest you look at grapes which can make good quality wine here: Cinsaut, Grenache, Mourvedre, and some of the Port varieties such as Tinta Barrocca.'
Its nice to see some of these grapes coming through now, and adding to increasingly popular and present Rhone- style blends and variations thereof.
Interesting times ahead.


(7) I WISH I could have tasted some of these:

Produced by the Dieu Donne winemaker. I wonder if these vines still around?

The Rustenberg 1982 i believe was an absolute stonker!

I don't know if anyone still has Muller Thurgau?

'Alter Ego'. A garagiste old- vine Merlot/ Cab blend from Tulbagh. Too cool.

(8) Disagreement over a united marketing front

The article reads, '..lack of finance and an inability to agree on a united marketing strategy seems to be hampering efforts.'

In my extremely limited knowlege of the South African wine industry, does this still ring true for our international marketing and export approach?

(9) Cheesy ads and headings:

Ultimate Blue Steel. And his dronkie girlfriend.

 

(10) Paarl Wine Route

This was quite big back in the day. Needs a push. Other wine areas are getting way ahead in the tourism stakes.

(11) The Swartland

The Swartland was seen as a value- for- money destination, and constituted the co- ops of Mamreweg Wine Cellar, Allesverloren, Riebeek Wine Cellar, Swartland Wine Cellar, Porterville Wine Cellar and Winkelshoek Wine Cellar.

The New

The Old Firm

(11) New- comers (then):

Chris Keet began making the famous, 'Cordoba' Wines.

Constantia Uitsig's first releases in 1993. Good times ahead.

Jeremy Walker released his first few Grangehurst beauties.

(12) An obsession with awards.

There are still many wine competitions which take place, where accolades are bestowed on individual wines, and the relevance of these awards is still disputed hotly in the wine media. More so between wine reps.

In 1994 these awards contributed an essential adjective to each and every wine mentioned in the magazine. Every award- oriented descriptive cliche in the industry was first mentioned here. At least half of the magazine was the mention of awards.

Awards- seemingly- were everything when it came to marketing your wine. A quality focus. There were no advertised deals and bulk specials. Was the market then less price- sensitive than today, and more interested in quality?

The 90's were an exciting time in the wine industry, and these pages introduced some of the current industry greats to the wine- drinking public.
It was an easier time to sell wine back then- or so it seems- and I was quite astonished to see the amount of labels that have since disappeared. Encouragingly, many of our most notorious wine houses have stood the test of time- realizing the need to evolve and read the market in order to re- position themselves when the necessity arose.
Sales and Marketing in the local wine market has become a lot more important. A resultant increase in wine quality is a positive result of  increased competition, but there are negative side- effects too. The market  is increasingly price- obsessed, partly through habituated spending patterns and aggressive pricing strategies by the larger companies. This focuses production at a certain market and increases production of inferior wine.
The John Platter Wine guide's physical growth year on year indicates a growth in overall supply of wine in the country. I hope that there is sustained reciprocal reaction from the local market.

I'm really happy to see so many of the 'big' names in the industry still going strong, and most are smiling a little more than 3-5 years ago with the current export results.

Now its time for an extraordinarily unprofound ending which reflects sentiments talked of since wine appreciation evolved.

Looking ahead (with my incredibly limited knowlege and experience in the wine industry), it looks like much more needs to be done to get people to drink wine. Anything, as long as its wine. This is where i am not averse to some of the flavoured wines. They serve a purpose, and they are perceived as being less intimidating to taste by consumers. One knows what to expect and everyone can sound clever because of the coffee flavours they can smell. I'm not saying that pushing these wines should be the only strategy, but they can help.
The problem is that people are intimidated by wine. Many households have grown up with wine, but not grown to know wine. The mainstream market the industry so desperately wants to attract is uneducated and intimidated by wine. There's so much choice, and the perception is that you have to be a studied expert to enjoy wine, and so they will stick to their guns. Just walking into a bottle store with so many options is quite daunting (unless you're a wine geek like me), and as a result, many consumers continually return to their brand which they drank with their Mom and Dad when they were young, when there were 5 wineries in South Africa.

After all that, having convinced the entire middle and upper class of South Africa to drink wine, a concerted effort to get people to drink better wine is needed.

There's a couple of ways to achieve that, and that in itself is the problem. Unity isn't a strong point for us is it?