FOR FOR WARMER TIMES

Mediterranean islands make a lot of sense for winemakers looking for a more extreme version of the Cape’s hot and windy terroir. Bosman Family Vineyards released the first ever South African vintage of Nero d’Avola in 2014, a decade after the first vine material arrived, and this Sicilian émigré has quickly grown a strong following amongst local wine lovers.

Looking for ways to future-proof his vineyards against global warming, geologist and winemaker Gary Jordan recognised that the mineral-rich soils of a windswept hilltop site on his Stellenbosch property were a perfect fit for Assyrtiko, a drought-tolerant variety native to the Greek island of Santorini. The first vines were planted in 2019 and have been trained to grow in the traditional basket-weave style used on Santorini to protect the ripening fruit from summer winds. The first wines were released in 2022, and while volumes are small, it’s the sharp end of a growing trend.

While the likes of heat-sensitive cabernet sauvignon and merlot certainly won’t disappear anytime soon, our vineyards are definitely changing. And in a few decades when the global mercury is rising, we’ll have these winemakers to thank for a chilled bottle of white wine on an (extremely) hot summer’s day. ■