The Other Down Under

Every wine geek wants to have an area they “discovered.” Something they’re hip to that those around them aren’t. Something they can rattle off details about that others don’t know. Everybody needs to have that special stronghold of their own.

I admit that South Africa has always been an intriguing option for me. It has a wide variety of grapes, a signature style (heavy barnyard and earthiness), and a personal star (the Pinotage grape). There is plenty of history there, and right now there is no shortage of well-financed operations trying to establish serious wines. Unfortunately, I’ve never quite found wines that blew me away. Plenty that were okay, but nothing that really made me say “wow.” I always had felt a bit let down.

Over the past month or so that has started to change. A while back I brought in Leopard’s Leap Chenin Blanc and their Shiraz/Pinotage blend. The wines have done fine in the store, and in particular I think the Chenin Blanc has a place. It is off-dry and at $12-$13 it is an affordable alternative to Vouvray, and personally I think it does a good job of delivering what a Vouvray should: nice richness, a touch of sweetness, and a unique fruit essence. The Shiraz/Pinotage blend isn’t quite as good, but it also serves a great purpose in my store: a way to introduce people to Pinotage.

Pinotage is South Africa’s signature. Hardly a noble grape, Pinotage is the result of a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault. It has a powerfully smoky aroma, and certainly is unique. Is it the greatest winemaking grape in the world? No. Is it worth knowing about and having from time-to-time? Absolutely. But it can be a bit strong, and one thing I’ve learned is people are reluctant to try something they don’t know anything about. This wine is a good introduction—think of it as Pinotage with training wheels.

There have been a few Cabernet discoveries as well. Excelsior shows a luscious character you don’t normally find for $10, and Guardian Peak’s Frontier is a great Bordeaux blend. Both wines are cheap, and were the exact type of wine I was hoping to find when I first started exploring South African wines.

So I had at last found the casual, affordable sippers that wine geeks are always searching for. I was happy with the basic wines and I was finally confident that there was a steady stream of respectable wines from South Africa at a really good price. I was happy.

Then, a few weeks ago one of my South African importers was in town tasting through a bunch of things. We had some nice Chenin, and then tasted through a lineup of reds. Some were nice, and some of the wines listed above were part of the group. Then, there were some high-end ($25 a bottle or more) wines. In the past I have had only one upper-tier South African wine that really impressed me: Ernie Els Meritage at around $85 a bottle. It was amazing, but it was on an island. At that price I had always viewed it as an aberration.

But during the tasting we had the Ruid Shultz Syrah from Stellenbosch. I was completely blown away. Rich in color and not just full but well-rounded in flavor: outstanding mouthfeel, dark flavors with spice, earth, and that essential zip of brightness down the middle of the palette that defines upper-tier old-world Syrah. I was completely enthralled with this wine. It was the kind of thing I had been waiting for years to find in South Africa.

Down the road I will have more things to say about the Rudi Schultz Syrah. I do have big plans for this wine. But since then I have been digging into some other South African wines I have at least heard of over the years. A few days ago I had a bottle of Fairview Shiraz. It was nice, but to be perfectly honest it was a bit too fruity for my tastes when you consider the price. But then on Saturday I opened a bottle of Fairvew SMV for my Saturday tasting. It was wonderful (and only around $17).

SMV stands for Shiraz (74%), Mourvedre (24%), and Viognier (2%). Think of it as a homeless man’s Cote-Rotie (it is better than that, but stay with me). The great struggle with South African reds is to get fruit without succumbing to the powerful earthy, barnyard characteristic of the wines. This wine does a great job of balancing all these elements.

I’m not officially re-invigorated when it comes to South African wines, and I hope to say more positive things about them in the future. In the meantime, keep your eye out for the Rudi Schultz (it should be in the $40 neighborhood retail). It’s pricey, but I think when you try it you will find out why.