Öffnungszeiten Tel. 043 888 21 21 Mo. - Fr. 09.00 – 18.00 [email protected] Sa. 10.00 – 16.00 www.kapweine.ch https://www.jamessuckling.com/ James Suckling der bekannte US Wein-Journalist schreibt ausführlich und treffend über die Südafrikanische Weinindustrie. Er besuchte Südafrika im Mai, degustiert über 500 Weine und gibt seine Bewertungen ab. Das alles auf English mit allen Bewertungen in diesem Dokument. Viel Spass beim Lesen – Die gelb markierten Weine finden Sie in unserem Sortiment: https://shop.kapweine.ch/ SOUTH AFRICA'S COOL-CLIMATE WHITES AND SCORCHING REDS: WHY THE COUNTRY HAS IT ALL The 93-point Rijk’s Chenin Blanc Tulbagh Reserve 2014 is a full-bodied and layered white that boasts fruity aromas and lively acidity. South Africa is on its game for white wines Wine lovers, take note: South Africa is on its game for white wines! The country’s whites are now deserving of every wine consumer’s attention, not least for the excellent value they have to offer. KapWeine – Cape Wine Selection SA | Rütibüelstrasse 17 | 8820 Wädenswil Öffnungszeiten Tel. 043 888 21 21 Mo. - Fr. 09.00 – 18.00 [email protected] Sa. 10.00 – 16.00 www.kapweine.ch As James and I tasted through almost 500 wines from the country in May this year, we could not help but be amazed as one outstanding flight followed the next of chenin blanc, chardonnay and even sauvignon blanc. Until only too recently, much of the white grapes grown in the Cape found their way into bulk wine, brandy production or, at most, catered solely to the whims of the market. While the majority of South African wine is still not exported in bottle, the premium sector is following a formula to a tee, harvesting with high acidity levels and fermenting their whites bone-dry, very rarely overdoing the oak. “We’ve become much more precise in our white wine production, but it all starts in the vineyard,” says Anton du Toit of Rhebokskloof estate. “Here at our winery in Paarl, we have decided sauvignon blanc just doesn’t work, so we’ve pulled it out. In the past, we would plant according to what the market wanted; often in the wrong place. Now, we try to grow chenin, for example, only on sites where the grape can keep its natural minerality.” In fact, the whites are so dependable that if in doubt, a safer bet would be choosing them over the reds. South African cabernets and Bordeaux blends in particular, usually from hotter areas, can have the tendency to slip into slightly overripe or overworked territory. It’s almost counterintuitive that the only serious wine-producing country in Africa — the continent better known for its arid deserts and barren savannas — should be outdoing itself with its white wines. A new wave of cool-climate reds are leading the way What’s more, some of the exciting red wines are now being made in indisputably cool-climate areas, most of them are barely a few decades old. “I think it’s a perception thing,” explains Jason Snell of The Drift, a wine estate making fabulous pinot noir and syrah in the up-and-coming Overberg district. KapWeine – Cape Wine Selection SA | Rütibüelstrasse 17 | 8820 Wädenswil Öffnungszeiten Tel. 043 888 21 21 Mo. - Fr. 09.00 – 18.00 [email protected] Sa. 10.00 – 16.00 www.kapweine.ch The mountainous region begins roughly 70km southeast of Cape Town on the Cape South Coast. “People think all of South Africa is hot, but this is far from the case. We’re at 450m above sea level, embraced by the side of a mountain, and the cool breeze from the Atlantic comes right over the top every morning at about 10 o’clock. Here, we usually place ourselves somewhere between Burgundy and Bordeaux in terms of climate.” Why South Africa is not as hot as you think for cool-climate varieties At 33.9° S latitude, Cape Town shares the same distance from the equator with parts of Morocco and Algeria. Yet, studies consistently put Overberg into the region II band within the Winkler Index, a widely used system for classifying wine- growing climates according to the total heat over the growing season (growing degree days). In short, this means comparisons to cooler temperate areas in the Old World are not mere hyperbole. The influence of the southeasterly wind on the entire Western Cape cannot be overstated. It’s ultimately caused by the confluence of the Agulhas current and Benguela current from Antarctica. The heat gradient between the land and sea and resulting pressure differences in the lower atmosphere produce a moist breeze with a cooling effect of up to 7°C. Its extent diminishes rapidly as you move further inland. KapWeine – Cape Wine Selection SA | Rütibüelstrasse 17 | 8820 Wädenswil Öffnungszeiten Tel. 043 888 21 21 Mo. - Fr. 09.00 – 18.00 [email protected] Sa. 10.00 – 16.00 www.kapweine.ch Hemel-en-Aarde: still a benchmark region for pinot and chardonnay Hamilton Russell Vineyards one of Africa’s most southerly wine estates, situated close to the ocean in the appellation of Hemel-en-Aarde. Photo credits: Hamilton Russell Vineyards. One of the most exposed areas to this phenomenon is Hemel-en-Aarde. Thanks to the pioneering efforts of Hamilton Russell Vineyards, the region — formerly part of the larger Overberg district but now a ward of Walker Bay — has been famous for some time now. The valley opens up just 1.5km from the ocean, and its narrow sides help to channel the maritime airflow. Hamilton Russell’s pinots and chardonnays, crafted in a fine, savory style that wouldn’t go amiss in the Cote de Nuits, are still a highlight of our annual South African tasting. On a par with them is Bouchard Finlayson, which produces fine, Burgundy-inspired bottlings, as well as the sensational pinot noir/sangiovese blend Hannibal. Newton Johnson is another producer to watch and catching up quickly with their pinot noir and a very succulent GSM blend. Why Elgin’s flinty, zesty chardonnays are worth buying Neighboring Elgin, up to the ‘80s solely a focus for fruit farmers, is predominantly planted to sauvignon blanc. However, we were particularly impressed by the chardonnays. The high-altitude yet coastal district is completely enclosed by the KapWeine – Cape Wine Selection SA | Rütibüelstrasse 17 | 8820 Wädenswil Öffnungszeiten Tel. 043 888 21 21 Mo. - Fr. 09.00 – 18.00 [email protected] Sa. 10.00 – 16.00 www.kapweine.ch Hottentots Holland Mountains, and the average summer temperature reaches a mere 20°C. The likes of Richard Kershaw Wines, Lothian Vineyards and Paserene — the latter is a project of Martin Smith who previously worked at Vilafonte — are all making edgy chardonnays with a characteristic stony undertone. They are worth seeking out. Traditional areas such as Constantia are also making excellent cool-climate wines Meanwhile, Constantia remains proof that not all of South Africa’s cool-climate regions are part of a new wave of wine production. Salty gusts have battered the vines here on the Cape Peninsula for over three centuries. “You’ve got to be very attentive working with these maritime conditions in Constantia,” affirms Du Toit Hoffman of Eagles’ Nest winery. “The winds can be so strong that the vines might even get knocked over, and then there’s the risk of disease from the dampness.” Cape vintners will tell you that, if anything, achieving ripeness can be more of a problem than overripeness in more marginal areas. KapWeine – Cape Wine Selection SA | Rütibüelstrasse 17 | 8820 Wädenswil Öffnungszeiten Tel. 043 888 21 21 Mo. - Fr. 09.00 – 18.00 [email protected] Sa. 10.00 – 16.00 www.kapweine.ch A fourth-generation family wine estate, Kanonkop is located on the lower slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in the Stellenbosch region of the Cape. Photo credits: Kanonkop Estate. While the ancient sweet wine recipes of Klein and Groot Constantia are longtime winners (95 points and 93 points respectively this year), we found some of the dry whites a little herbaceous and tart. With that said, we are very enthusiastic about the Bordeaux blends and syrahs being made here — especially on the less shady and warmer sites where the Constantia mountain turns towards Table Mountain. Stellenbosch’s top subregions of Helderberg and Simonsberg impress Of course, more traditional areas such as Stellenbosch do get very hot in the summer months. Even so, South Africa’s wine epicenter doesn’t tend to suffer the same heat spikes that say Napa Valley does, let alone Tuscany. Topography, distance from the coastline and site exposure play a huge role in the region as south-facing vineyards capture much more of the sea breeze. The warmer, inland Simonsberg-Stellenbosch mountain ward produced our best pinotage this year from Kanonkop (95 points) and excellent riper chenin blends, including Laurens Campher from Muratie (93 points). For cooler top regions, Helderberg continues to differentiate itself, particularly with syrah blends such as Post House and Anwilka. The Swartland is making some of the most exciting wines in South Africa with fresh, terroir-driven syrah and chenin blanc On the subject of syrah — a variety that we overall believe to be South Africa’s most exciting one — no article on Cape wine would be complete without catching up on the developments in Swartland. KapWeine – Cape Wine Selection SA | Rütibüelstrasse 17 | 8820 Wädenswil Öffnungszeiten Tel. 043 888 21 21 Mo. - Fr. 09.00 – 18.00 [email protected] Sa. 10.00 – 16.00 www.kapweine.ch Mullineux’s primary focus is on bottling syrah and chenin according to soil type, maintaining it has the greatest influence on terroir in the Swartland.