A beginner's guide to South African wine

A beginner’s guide to South African wine

People come from all over the world to sample South African wine, for good reason. Many of the best wines in the world are made right here in Cape Town. If you haven’t done a lot of wine tasting before, it might be a little daunting to explore the South African wine scene. If you need a little intro to get you going, look no further than this handy guide. Take a few minutes to read this article and nobody would ever guess that you’re a beginner!

What to expect when you go wine tasting Wine-tasting can be a great experience for seasoned connoisseurs and total beginners alike. Many wine estates offer other activities, like picnics, kids’ playgrounds, amazing restaurants, cellar tours, pairings, and much more. Most are located in stunning surrounds, and many (like Groot Constantia) contain beautiful examples of the unique Cape Dutch architecture.

Depending where you go, you’ll find gorgeous white-washed manor houses, incredible views, local artwork and a rich history. Even if you’re not a big wine drinker, or have kids in tow, there’s something for everyone on a day exploring Cape Town’s wine farms. Research the wine route you would like to visit, and plan your day to include a great lunch and other activities. You’re likely to drink a bit of wine on your outing, so it’s a good idea to arrange transport. The Red Bus (Cape Town’s) sightseeing bus connects to both the Franschhoek

Wine Tram and Constantia wine route, and is a comfortable and convenient option. Wine tasting usually happens in the estate’s tasting room. Here, you’ll find knowledgeable staff to guide you through the process, telling you all you need to know about the wines you’re drinking. There is usually a small tasting fee, although many estates waive it if you purchase wines from them. Many estates ship internationally, so you can place an order and your wine will meet you at home.

The only good sweet wines you’ll find are dessert wines and muscat, which are delicious but too heavy for casual drinking and better kept to pair with a dessert. If you prefer sweet wines, think of this as an opportunity to branch out and find a high quality, world-class dry wine that you like.

Your tasting vocabulary Before we get into a great deal of detail, here is a helpful little cheat sheet. Learn these few words and what they mean,and you’re about halfway tounderstanding wine tasting. It’ll also make wine tasting more enjoyable for you, because you’ll understand what the staff are talking about when introducing the wines. Remember that the staff at wine estates are there to help you, and they are accustomed to guiding everyone—from rookie to veteran—through the wine tasting experience. Don’t be afraid to ask questions!

They’re there to help you learn and have a good time. Varietal simply refers to the type of grape used to make the wine. Tannins are a compound that occurs in wine. They are responsible for the dry taste of red wines. It’s the same kind of taste that you’ll find in strong tea. The word is typically only used to describe the dry mouthfeel of a red wine: most white wines don’t have noticeable tannins on the palate. Wood - Some wine matures in oak barrels. In white wines, this is responsible for a richer flavour, and will bring out caramel, vanilla, straw, and buttery flavours. It also makes the wine a deeper yellow colour. Not all white wines are matured in wood, but almost all red wines are matured in barrels. The longer the wine is wooded for, the more complex the flavour: you’ll detect spice, smoke, and other rich, deep notes. South African wine is matured in French oak. Terroir and climate - wines are affected by the kind of climate the vines grow in. Rainfall and temperature can make a big difference. Terroir refers to all the environmental factors that go into the grape, including the soil type, geological factors, climate, elevation, and even which other organisms are growing nearby. Colour - pay attention to the colour of the wine: it can tell you a lot. In red wines, it is a clear indication of age. Younger reds are a bright red or purple, while aged

reds take on a brownish hue. In whites, it can indicate whether the wine was matured in wood or not. The wood gives white wine a yellower colour. Rosé wine colour is affected by how long the skins of the red grape are left on before the liquid is separated. A subtle, pale pink might only have had under an hour of skin contact, while a deeper pink indicates a longer skin contact time. Nose - the “nose” of a wine refers to the scent you can pick up – florals, spices, wood, and any other elements. Once you refine your nose, it’ll tell you a lot about what you’re drinking before you even take a sip.

Types of South African wine Red wines There are many kinds of red grape grown in Cape Town, and you might find some more unusual varietals on some estates. Red wines are most often (but not always) matured in oak barrels, and the skins are left on. The result is a lovely red colouring from the skin, and a richness from the wood. Here are some of the red wines you’re most likely to come across on your wine tasting adventures. Pinotage: Pinotage holds a special place in local hearts - it is the only grape that is unique to South Africa. It was invented at Stellenbosch University in 1925. It is a hybrid of pinot noir and cinsault. Pinotage is a bold and complex wine with a deep red colour. Depending on the age of the wine, you may taste notes of red berries, spice, and chocolate or coffee.

Cabernet Sauvignon: Many estates in Cape Town make great “cab sav”. It is a darker, deeper red than pinotage and often has a more complex flavour. It has bold tannins, and you’ll often pick up black fruits, along with peppery notes and even a tobacco flavour. Merlot: This is a little softer on the palate than “cab sav”. It has gentle tannins and loads of delicious fruity flavours. It used to be mostly used in blends, but you’ll find 100% merlot at a lot of estates these days. Shiraz/Syrah: Most South African producers call this wine “Shiraz”, but it’s the same thing as Syrah. It’s quite a versatile grape, so the wines vary from place to place. It’s a rich, deep wine with a distinct spiciness, and often a nice chocolate or coffee finish. Cape Blend: This is, as the name dictates, a blend of different types of grape. It is local to the Western Cape region. It must have at least 30% pinotage to be a Cape Blend. Other grapes used include merlot, cabernet sauvignon, cabernet franc, Shiraz, or other less common varietals. White wines White wines ferment in stainless steel tanks, but some are later matured in wood barrels. One of the most notable differences between white wines is the woodiness. Wooded whites are usually yellower and rich, while those bottled straight out of steel tanks are clearer, with a crisp finish. Here are a few of the white wines you’ll find most often. Sauvignon Blanc: South African Sauvignon Blanc is world famous. It’s light and crisp, with that distinctive

summery acidity that makes it the perfect drink on a sunny day.

Chardonnay: Chardonnay is usually (but not always) wooded. It’s usually rich, yellow, and has notes of caramel, vanilla, and butter. Many estates these days produce unwooded chardonnays, which have a lighter colour and flavour. Chenin Blanc: Chenin is another great wine to sip on a sunny day. It usually has some wood contact, giving it more complexity than a “sauv blanc”, but it isn’t as rich as a Chardonnay. It’s often a great food wine. White blends: Don’t skip the South African white wine blends! They are incredibly diverse, but usually delicious. Bubbles Bubbles are an essential element of any celebration. MCC stands for “Méthode Cap Classique”, and it is the South African equivalent of champagne. Sparkling wines are carbonated, while MCC develops its own bubbles in the bottle naturally. MCC is usually a little pricier, but it’s well worth it for the soft bubbly texture and complex flavour palate. Rosé Many estates produce fantastic Rosé, although it is not as common as red and white wine. It’s often inexpensive and makes for great summertime drinking. Dessert wines Dessert wines are the only high-quality sweet wines you’ll taste while exploring the vineyards of Cape Town and its surrounds. There are a few methods of

production. Late Harvest wines are made by allowing the grapes to become almost raisin-like on the vines before they are picked. The grapes produce tiny amounts of juice, but the little bit they do offer is honey-sweet.

Another method is Noble Late Harvest. This refers to as “noble rot”: the presence of a fungus called botrytis, which infects grapes in moist conditions. The ripe grapes are exposed to the fungus, which causes them to become raisin-like and produce a very sweet nectar. Straw wine is another type, which involves drying the grapes once already picked, typically on straw mats. Whichever the method, these wines are delicious and pair beautifully with desserts.

In fact, it was a very special dessert wine made right here in Cape Town that first made South African wines famous. Groot Constantia‘s Grande Constance is the oldest wine in the country, and it was famously served to Napoleon Bonaparte while exiled in St Helena. Add a taste of Grande Constance to your bucket list!

Where to taste wine The best South African wine is made right here in Cape Town. There are five main wine routes in or close to Cape Town: Constantia, Durbanville and Helderberg are also within the city borders, and Franschhoek and Stellenbosch are within 30 minutes to an hour’s drive of the city centre. Your best option is to choose a route that’s convenient for you and select four or five estates that tickle your fancy.

There are also a number of operators such as Wine Flies Tours, City Sightseeing‘s Purple Route, and the Franschhoek Wine Tram if you would like a more guided or curated experience.

How to taste wine Once you have a glass of wine in your hand, what next? Here’s your step-by-step guide to getting the most out of your sip. First, swirl it around to release the aromas, and look at the colour. Then, take a deep sniff and smell what flavours you notice the nose. Finally, the moment you’ve been waiting for: take a sip. To make sure you get the full impact and all the flavours, try swishing it around in your mouth. And then, the final question: spit or swallow? If you’d prefer to pace your alcohol intake, or you’re driving, little buckets are usually available to spit into. It’s widely acceptable (as is chucking the rest of the tasting glass after a small sip). Do whatever suits you best: the most important thing is to have a great time.

History of South African wine South African wine has a complex and fascinating history. Take a few minutes to explore the history and your wine tasting experience will be even more interesting.

Ask anyone you meet what they know about Cape Town, and you’re likely to hear “wine” among the first few responses. Cape Town is rightly famous for its wine production, with a viticulture history dating back to the 1650s. Cape Town’s Mediterranean climate, with its rainy winters and long, dry summers, provides the perfect growing conditions for grapes. Of course, the history wasn’t always as glamorous as the rolling valleys, modern tasting rooms, and charming manor houses we see today.

Constantia vineyards In the early 1650s, Cape Town was established as a refreshment station along the Spice Route between Europe and Asia, and the Dutch governor, Jan van Riebeeck, planted the first vines. Old Jan didn’t know the first thing about notes of gooseberry or tannins or oak. He believed that the wine would prevent scurvy for those starving, sickly sailors rounding the Cape.

Jan’s humble vineyard fell out of use after this blunder, but 30 years later, another Dutch governor named Simon van der Stel was granted 2 500 hectares of land in Constantia. Van der Stel fancied himself something of a winemaker, and he had the good sense to bring in some reinforcements who actually knew a thing or two about the process. The French farmers he recruited had the first drinkable Cape wines bottled by the 1680s. However, “drinkable” wasn’t good enough for Simon’s tastes. He issued official decrees that made it legally necessary to produce high quality wine in the Cape. Harvesting grapes before they were fully ripe or fermenting wine in dirty barrels could earn winemakers a hefty fine.

After Simon van der Stel died in 1712, his estate was split into three parts — today known as Klein Constantia, Groot Constantia, and Bergvliet respectively—and sold. The Bergvliet vines were ripped up to make way for livestock. Groot Constantia, where Simon’s house stood, fell into disrepair, and eventually the vines gave way to unkempt fields. With him, the culture of winemaking had almost died too. Most Cape cultivators at the time thought of wine like any other crop; if it wasn’t going to turn a profit, what was the point? A few lost interest entirely and pulled up the vines to plant orchards and other more valuable crops.

Klein Constantia, however, fell into the hands of Johannes Colijn, the son of a wealthy freed slave of West African descent. Colijn set to work tending the vines, keeping the Constantia name alive with his wine. Colijn negotiated the first shipment of Constantia wines to Europe, bringing the Cape’s wine to the continent for the first time. As the wines of the Cape made their way onto the dinner tables of more and more wealthy Europeans, demand was off the charts. Colijn took out a

loan and purchased the next-door Groot Constantia farm for his sister, Johanna and her husband. The siblings produced the famed Constantia wines together until the 1740s, and the Colijns continued the family business after they passed away.

Constantia wine route In 1779, a portion of the estate was sold to the far more famous Cloete family, who lived in the manor house, and planted still more vines. The Constantia sweet wine grew in fame, notoriously landing even in the hands of Napoleon Bonaparte and Louis XVI, and ending up in the works of both Jane Austen and Charles Dickens. Napoleon Bonaparte had as much as 1 126 litres of the stuff shipped to him while exiled at St Helena.

It seemed there was nowhere to go but up for the wine industry in Cape Town. However, what goes up must come down - and it came down hard in the late 1800s. First, the export industry took a hit when preferential tariffs where removed. Then, in 1886, almost all the vineyards where decimated by phylloxera, a microscopic pest that eats the plants. The industry ground to a complete halt and when it came to replanting, those who were bold enough to continue the trade grew grapes with a high yield, like Cinsault.

The yield was indeed high; by the early 1900s, vines were groaning under the weight of grapes and farms were hard at work pressing juice from the berries,

barrelling and fermenting and bottling. So much wine was produced, in fact, that there were simply not enough people to buy and drink it. Winemakers were left to tip barrels into streams, letting the wine flow in rivers off their farms and out to sea.

Wine in Cape Town Demand dropped and with it, so did the prices. It was this imbalance that prompted the South African government to form KWV (Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Bpkt), a co-operative that grew to set policies and prices for the wine industry. These policies had the knock-on effect of paving way for fortified wines and brandy production, for which KWV is still famous.

The apartheid era ushered in sanctions and boycotts, and exports dried up. This was a dark time for the country as a whole, affecting every aspect of daily life, the economy, and the cultural and political landscape of South Africa. It lasted for the better part of 50 years, until finally in 1994, the first democratic elections took place. Nelson Mandela was elected president, and apartheid was over.

Winemakers finally had all the pieces in place to grow, bottle, and sell the Cape wine, and it began a kind of renaissance. Within 10 years, Cape Town’s wine was served across the globe, and today you’ll find fine local wines at every restaurant and bar in town.

Cape Town Tourism T: +27 (0)21 487 6800 Contact Centre: 086 132 2223 W: www.capetown.travel