We are surrounded by Malbec, Torrontes, and all Argentine wines, all the time. Last Friday, we had the distinct pleasure to host a tasting organized by Wines of South Africa to learn more about our Southern Hemisphere sister and her wines.
A group of prominent sommeliers and winemakers from Mendoza were on hand to learn about the growing wine regions of South Africa and what makes their wines special. For me it is infinitely amazing to see how different wine varietals are expressed so differently dependant in the terroir and growing conditions.
We started out with a sparking from Graham Beck made from 100% Chardonnay which was rich with yeasty aromas, hints for clean lime, persistent bubbles in the mouth, lots of apple and pear and a lovely finish.
Next up was a Sauvignon Blanc from Elim called the Weathergirl, 2008. Really typical varietal flavors of herbs, grass, pear, and apple, it was bright with acidity and character.
The star of the night was the 2008 Forrester Meinert Chenin Blanc (FMC) and surprisingly it had 12.8 grams of residual sugar. This means that it should taste sweet on the mouth, yet the acidity and balance of this wine, made the sugar blend into a balanced wine throughout the mouth with fragrant aromas and a lingering finish.
The reds were comprised of a 2007 pinotage made by an ‘estate’ (which is the English for ‘Landgoed’) named Groot Constantia, 2007 de Trafford Shiraz from Stellenbosch, 2008 The Chocolate Block from Boekenhoutskloof, based in Franschhoek69% Syrah, 12% Grenache Noir, 10% Cabernet Sauvignon, 7% Cinsault, 2% Viognier) the Le Riche Cabernet Sauvignon Reserve 2005 from Jonkershoek Valley in Stellenbosch.
The amount of varietals that are planted in South Africa is impressive with many Rhone varietals and the popular Pinotage. Host, Meryl Weaver gave a comprehensive overview of the different wine regions of South Africa as well as some of the history of the industry. Like Argentina, they have been greatly affected by the effect of foreign technology and investment in the last 1990′s with political restructuring help from Nelson Mandela. Today the country is much more peaceful and we look forward to seeing more of what South Africa has to offer!
So pleased you enjoyed South African wines for a change and hope it’ll mean you’ll be drinking lots more of them! Especially from the Overberg!!
The Weather Girl is an Overberg wine from Elim – thought you may like a link to their site?
theberrio (dot) co (dot) za