TA S T I N G |
QUE SYRAH SYRAH
SHIRAZ – OR SYRAH AS IT’S SOMETIMES CALLED – IS A RICH, SPICY WINE WHICH IS MADE FOR SOUTH AFRICAN WINTER ENJOYMENT. A CHEERS TASTING PANEL PUT A CROSS SECTION OF THE SWARTLAND’S PRODUCERS’ WINES TO THE TEST.
T
he popularity of Shiraz has exploded! Just 20 years ago there were 107 Shiraz listed in the index of the Platter Guide in total. The 2020 edition of the same guide details 18 wines rated 5 Stars, 131 at 4½ and a further 174 at 4 Stars, making a whopping 373 wines considered excellent. There are around the same number of wines coming in below that threshold. Shiraz is a grape most commonly associated with France’s Rhône valley ... and it’s where so many of the Swartland winemakers take their inspiration from. The dry, warm area with Malmesbury and Riebeek Kasteel at its centre is best
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known for its rolling wheat fields and sheep pastures but it’s also where some of the country’s most exciting Shiraz are made. The real rock star wines, the Porseleinberg and Mullineux Iron, Schist and Gravel examples weren’t available for tasting at short notice but we rounded up a representative sampling of what the proverbial man-in-the-street could easily find in retail. Tasting panel: Fiona McDonald, Dr Winnie Bowman CWM, Maryna Calow, Dee Griffin and Sam Robertson
