SA Wiines
 

Hi all,

As a long-time serious collector of SA wines (going back to pre-apartheid days when I had it shipped over marked as "Olive Oil"), I'm always pleased to see SA wines getting good press in the US.

Just in case there are other SA wine lovers out there, the April 30 Wine Spectator has a nice update on the wines of South Africa.

The article includes WS ratings for quite a few wines, with the focus on Shiraz (Syrah) and Chenin Blanc. There are still excellent values to be had with SA wines if you know what to look for.

Syrah has become a very popular wine of late and SA produces some beauties. Chenin Blanc is the most widely planted grape in SA (used historically for "jug" wines) and is used to produce sweet (dessert) wines as well as dry versions.

For those who long for a safari sundowner at home, I recommend searching out an SA wine or two!

Cheers,
James

Jim

Looking for some spiffs from the SA wine industry :D

Not too many wine drinkers listening today...

Is wiine the Afrikaans spelling? :D

Wine drinker checking in ... Can you recommend a couple of good, not too pricey reds (I like shiraz, merlot, zin, and Chianti types, and I'm certainly not a wine expert). Thanks

P.S., what's a "spiff"?

We have Kumala SA wine out here in the sticks of the Big Island of Hawaii

Thanks James, will check out the updated list. We've been enjoying SA wines for awhile now - always good. Got any favorites to rec.?
From a serious wine drinker ((D))
Sherry

Matt -
"Wiine" is a trick performed by poor typists...

Stamiya -
Wines from Fairview are some of my favorites and many are readily available in the better wine outlets here in the States. Charles Back is one of the preeminent winemakes in SA. Their Red Seal range are superb (Solitude Shiraz, Beacon Block Shiraz and Jakkalsfontein Shiraz) and worth the $30 price.

Less expensive (but good values):
- Goats do Roam, Goat Roti and Goats do Roam in Villages (all Fairview labels) are in the $10-$17 range but very nice and readily available.

- Wines from the Kumkani range are all quite good values (typically about $15).

- Nederberg Baronne (cab/shiraz blend) is an old standby and always a good value at around $10.

- Kanonkop Kadette is another long-time excellent value red blend for about $12.

Year after year, one of the finest examples of Sauv Blanc coming out of SA (and readily available) is Mulderbosch (about $20). Other good Sauv Blancs are Warwick, Thelema, Buitenverwachting and Neil Ellis.

Finally, if you have not tried Pinotage - you should.
It's a cross between pinot noir and cinsault (otherwise known in France as hermitage). Pretty much strictly a SA blend, although there's apparently a few in New Zealand now.

The WS article has a nice listing of Top Values, all of which are in the $8-$12 range.

Enjoy!

Cybor -

My trusted faves these days are reds from:
Meerlust, Neil Ellis, Boekenhoutskloof, Fairview, Grangehurst, Kanonkop, Rust en Vrede and Thelema.

One of my all time best (and I buy a case every year if I can get it) is Meerlust Rubicon (about $27). SA natives know about this one for certain. Classic Cape blend that has been a standout for 2 decades.

The Rust en Vrede Estate (cabernet/shiraz/merlot blend) is also fantastic if you are lucky enough to find some.

Thelema merlot and also their cab - absolute beauties and very distinctive

Hamilton Russell make a nice Pinot Noir (napamatt likes this one I know) as does Bouchard Finlayson (though not sure if this one is imported as much as the HR).

I tend to enjoy dry whites and so I lean towards Sauv Blancs (see my previous post).

James

James/NapaMatt,

What are some really good shiraz wines that you guys recommend? Not necessarily from SA......any really good wines????

Cheers
Hari

Hari,

Aussie shiraz is typically a good bet.

Some favorites:
Kirrihill Clare Valley shiraz
St. Hallett Faith shiraz
Yerring Station Res. Shiraz/Viognier (great stuff)

Good values (still Aussie):
Boundary Rider ~ $13
Buck Jumper ~ $10
Ross Northridge ~ $17
Sylvan Springs ~ $15

Not sure if you'll find these, but most wine shops should have some Aussie shiraz - chat to the expert and get a recommendation!

James

Thanks James,

Will look out for these.........

Hari

Hari

Being in the wine industry I appear to know far less than Jim.

Good shiraz that I like are

Brothers in Arms
Wild Duck Creek
Torbreck
St. Hallett
Kaesler
Kays Amery Vineyards
and many more

In addition there are some nice Syrah's out of California

Many of these are really quite pricey though, but worth the spend (25-40)

Carlisle
Eric Kent
Pax
Copain
Rosenblum

A South African wine I also like a lot is Guardian Peak SMG ( a blend of Syrah, Grenache and Mourvedre)

A value Syrah appearing on shelves soon in the US will be the Estancia from Monterey, priced at around 10-12.

Thanks for the heads up on the WS issue.

We sent back a couple of cases from SA...by regular mail!

We enjoyed a wonderful vintage Boekenhoutskloof at LQF and bought lots to send home. We visited Neil Ellis and loved the winery, fountains and all but didn't really "get" the wine. I second Hamilton Russel and of course Kanankop. We also like Bon Heur which was fun to visit.

The Platter guide is a great help, though there may be more available now. My imprssion is that Platter is the Robert parker of SA!

Pinotage is certainly an aquire taste. My husband loves it but I'm not so sure. We had some from Uitywck (I think this is spelt wrong!) which was good and we enjoyed the Kanonkop Pinotage.

jweis:
That list is great, we now get a lot of SA wine here in Thailand now and I have copied your list as I am no expert, I will hunt around and see what I can find on the shelves 'here'!

Napamatt : The Afrikaans is 'wyn'

Thanks Napamatt.....yes, the brothers in arms is very good indeed.......will keep a look out for the others.

Hari

JamesA

You should know that Nicky, wife of JamesW prefers you not describe him or any of his posts as great, she has enough trouble with his ego as it is. :S-

I haven't tried too many wines from SA so I'll have to find the WS list and check them out. The only one I have written down that I like is Roodeberg. My husband doesn't care much for it but I do.

I don't know much about wine. Only whether I like it or not. I don't know how to desribe what I like or don't like so it's hard to have someone pick them out. If any of you "wine people" can tell me some SA wines that are comparable to what we like, I'll be happy to try to find them.

We like quite a few Shiraz's (sp?)- most from Barossa Valley
Tait Ball Buster - blend 70% Shiraz, 15% Cab Sauv, 15% Merlot
3 Rings Shiraz
Winner's Tank Shiraz
McWilliams Hanwood Estate Shiraz
Terra Barrosa
Footbolt Shiraz
Torbreck Woodcutters Shiraz 2004

Some Napa wines
Novelty Hill Merlot 2001
Atalon Merlot 2001
Castle Rock Merlot
Liberty School
McMurray Pinot Noir

So, a little off topic, but when someone visits your home and brings you a bottle of Two Buck Chuck, do you still let them in your home?

(Charles Shaw wine retails for $1.99 at Trader Joes stores in the U.S.)

I think it's up to $2.99 at some of the Trader Joe's now. Maybe you could let them sit on your porch.

Never be rude. Accept the bottle graciously and let the household staff fight over it later.

We also greatly enjoy SA wines and plan to spend more time in the winelands next time we visit but if you are ever in Orlando, the Animal Kingdom lodge at Disney has a wonderful selection of SA wines to sample. So far, we've really enjoyed Meerlust, Fairview and Warwick but have so many more experience.

Thanks for all the tips on SA wines and Aussie Shiraz - guess I know what I'll be doing from now until we leave for Africa :D

James: thanks for posting this -- I picked up the Wine Spectator last night just in time to make some buys for my Saturday nigh Safari Palooza Slide Show from my March trip party.

I was thinking of running a little wine tasting. Can any of you experts tell me the correct order to serve? I made the best selections I could find:

My best guess on the order:

1) Ken Forrester Petite Chenin 2004
2) Jardin Sauvignon Blanc 2005
3) Fairview Pinotage 2004
4) Fairview Shiraz 2002
5) Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap (mix of Syrah, Cinsault, Cab Sauv., Grenache, Merlot, Ruby Cab. 2004 -- it was the only one by this vineyard in my store and I know they make lots of good ones
6) Man Vinters Cab. Sauvignon 2003

Order looks good -

Save the big reds for last and finish with any sweet / dessert wines.

Just picked up some Ice Wines (Inniskillin Oak Aged Vidal) made in Ontario, Canada. I tried one the other night at a restaurant here in Chicago and found it to be amazing stuff.

If you enjoy SWEET dessert wines, this wine is the nectar of the Gods!

To make Icewine, grapes are left on the vine well into the winter months. The resulting freezing and thawing of the grapes dehydrates the fruit, and concentrates the sugars, acids, and extracts in the berries, thereby intensifying the flavors and adding complexity to the wine made from it.

Anyone else tried Icewine?

Got a bottle of cabernet sauv. 2004 Royal deMaria- I'm waiting to pop for a good cause (has anyone had this?) - got a photo session coming up from our recent trip. I'll be making a choc. cheesecake topped with strawberries to go with it. Thinking that I may not share :) .
Sherry

Pred,

HI! This is a coincidence.....i just picked up a few bottles of the fairview from my local wine store here in India.

Hari

Fairview makes an excellent dessert wine, Le Beryl Blanc...yumm!

James, thanks for the confirmation - I have not tried Icewine, I'll have to check that out.

Cheers Hari - enjoy the Fairview, I'll be having mine tomorrow night as I relive the Kwando experience with friends!

Hi Pred,

Wine tasting parties combined with an African safari slide show are one of my favorite things to do and host.

Make sure you don't go too long with the slides (I was always guilty of this).

A fun thing to try sometime is a "blind tasting". Have a few bottles of each variety (enough for everyone to get a taste) and place the bottles in brown bags and number each variety (ie, 1 = Cab, 2 = Syrah, etc)

Have guests try to guess the variety of wine for each bottle tasted. Educational and good fun. I had little scorecards and let people make tasting notes, etc.

Of course, everyone wins in that they improve their wine appreciation!

Let us know how the party went.

Cheers,
James

sorry James,

Ice wines are really not my cup of tea. Nothing matches a nice port for a nice dessert wine. But yes, they are both very different and cant be compared.

Hari

Jim I have a number of icewine in the portfolio, and early in June, we will be adding Inniskillen!

Another Shiraz to try

Marqusis Phillips - about $18, screw cap and delish.

I bought Inniskillen a few years ago as I recall it was in the $80-100 range for a small bottle. I savored every last drop, a true delicacy! Yummm

Still waiting to pop the 04 cab.sauv. R. de Maria icewine - I forgot to ask in my earlier post if any of you have tried it. Is it very sweet? Think it will be good with the choc. cheesecake?
Sherry

Hello,

Speaking of port...

SA does some very nice ports as well. They are more often produced by wineries a bit more off the beaten path, but are worthwhile to seek out.

Cheers,
Julian

My party was fantastic. I managed to keep my slide show to about an hour and not go too into the natural history of each species. Our bobotie dish was well received and the wines were a hit.

Both the whites went over very well as did the pinotage and I thought each of them was very good. The Wolftrap was a good solid choice. Shiraz was not smooth and I would not recommend it, and the Cab was also just o.k.

Further, my Springbok's were a huge hit.

These were the wines.
1) Ken Forrester Petite Chenin 2004
2) Jardin Sauvignon Blanc 2005
3) Fairview Pinotage 2004
4) Fairview Shiraz 2002
5) Boekenhoutskloof The Wolftrap (mix of Syrah, Cinsault, Cab Sauv., Grenache, Merlot, Ruby Cab. 2004 -- it was the only one by this vineyard in my store and I know they make lots of good ones
6) Man Vinters Cab. Sauvignon 2003

sounds like a nice party.

Pred -

Great to hear the party was a hit. I'me sure I would have personally loved it. if you don't mind me asking, whereabouts do you stay?

Any plans for an encore in the future?

James

James, I'm in Golden, Colorado. Where are you based?

I will definitely be doing a similar party again in the future -- I just need to make another trip for new pics.

Don't know how I missed this thread for so long. OK James, what about the SA chardonnays? That's my chosen poison. I tried all I could lay hands on in the camps. I liked one called Golden Kaan which I chased down through Sam's and bought a few cases of but it wasn't top notch if you know what I mean. Now that I'm going back in June I'd love to know whether you have any rec's. I like the old style oaky, buttery chardonnays. I'm thinking of grabbing a few bottles in the JNB airport to bring along to camp.

Re: ice wine, have you tried late harvest wines? I think the harvesting process is similar and they're found in the dessert wine sections of wine shops. On a recent trip to Napa I picked up the Beringer and the Kendall Jackson late harvest chardonnays and they are YUMMY.