COUPS DE COEUR

GENERATION 8 CHENIN BLANC, W.O. WELLINGTON, 2021, LOT 3042. P17

THIS CELLAR'S HIGHEST SCORING WINES

EVERYDAY DRINKING

WARWICK THE FIRST LADY SAUVIGNON BLANC, WESTERN CAPE, 2021, LOT 3036, P13 FEBO, TOSCANA, IGT, 2016, LOT 3081, P43

CELLARING POTENTIAL

KERSHAW GPS KLEIN RIVER SYRAH, 2018, LOT 3058, P26

right moment to pick depends not only on when grapes are fully ripe, but also on the weather forecast and practical constraints of throughput and capacity in the winery. For many wine regions, this can mean harvesting before autumn rains set in. In South Africa, the previous years of drought meant getting the grapes in before sugar levels skyrocketed, acidity plummeted, and grapes started to raisin. In 2021, cooler temperatures and good weather meant winemakers could bide their time to pick at exactly the right moment with high natural acidity and phenolic ripeness. Both Corlea and Lukas were very happy. Grapes were generally picked a couple of weeks later than previous years with bunches in good numbers and berry size both contributing to the increase in yield. From my point of view, this translates into tasting deep coloured reds with lots of ripe forest fruit flavours and tannin structure. The white wines are also fresh and brimming with fruits, with both Bosman’s Generation 8 Chenin Blanc and Warwick’s First Lady Sauvignon Blanc as immediate Coups de Coeur. On the impact of Covid, out of adversity comes creativity. Corlea’s team quickly adapted to a new way of working with shifts designed to minimize contact, and meetings held outside. Masks were made for the company by the women’s club and Bosman made their own sanitizer. As with many wineries in South Africa, the company made huge efforts with social media and e-commerce to compensate for the disruption in sales channels. During this time, Corlea also reported a change in customer preferences with environmental and sustainability aspects becoming more important. The impact of COVID continues and has a knock-on effect all the way down the supply chain, affecting in particular the availability of glass bottles. The current shortage is due to production at local foundries being shut down for a period. There is also limited availability of almost every single dry good: paper labels, closures, capsules, cartons – not to mention disruption of freight and ports. Thus in 2021, it seems that many of the challenges for South African winemakers was not so much in the actual winemaking but in dealing with these operational issues. South Africa has proven itself to be resilient. It will overcome these difficulties and will continue to make high quality wines. To quote Mike Ratcliffe of Vilafonté: "the future is bright!"