News
By DOROTHY J. GAITER AND JOHN BRECHER
The Wall Street Journal
APRIL 25, 2008
Out of South Africa
White Wines From an Overlooked Country Offer Focus, Weight -- and Value
We wondered what was up with South African wine.
We have been writing about the wines of South Africa for years and have recommended looking for them, but it seems clear from our visits to wine stores that South African wines haven't caught on as quickly as wines from some other places. While the amount of South African wine imported into the U.S. tripled from 2002 through last year, the figure is still pretty small and has been fairly flat for the last couple of years. And consider this: As recently as 1999, America imported more wine from South Africa than New Zealand. Now, New Zealand's exports to the U.S., by volume, are about double those of South Africa.
To be sure, South Africa is working against all sorts of odds. While it has a centuries-long tradition of winemaking, much of that effort went toward domestic consumption during the years in which the country was shunned. The industry has only begun to compete internationally, with better wines and more popular grape types, in the past 15 years or so. South Africa's own special grape is the unusual Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, which is distinctive but unlikely to set the world on fire. South Africa's most-widely planted grape is Chenin Blanc, which was traditionally called Steen there. American wine drinkers are unlikely to warm to a wine called Steen, but the name Chenin Blanc carries its own baggage because of all the cheap, sweet, charmless, generic American white wines called Chenin Blanc over the years.
The Dow Jones South African Sauvignon Blanc Index
In a broad, blind tasting of South African Sauvignon Blanc, these were our favorites. These are best young, and because harvest takes place early in the year, the 2008 vintage will be available before you know it. When you see one, grab it. These are good sipping wines and also go well with fish and with cream sauces. We also tasted a small sample of Chenin Blanc (which traditionally is called Steen in South Africa) and had not planned to include them, but we were so impressed by their quality that we decided to add a few as a postscript. They are best with food and would age nicely. We liked the Sauvignon Blancs at a cooler temperature than the Chenin Blancs, which we preferred around cellar temperature, 55 degrees.
SAUVIGNON BLANC
Southern Right 2007 (Walker Bay) $13.99
Very Good
Best of tasting. Plenty of varietal green bell pepper character, with a relaxed elegance that makes it special. Especially long, green-gold finish. This really tastes true.
Fairvalley 2007 (Coastal Region) $8.99
Very Good
Best value (tie). Bursting with fresh green pepper and sunshine. So clean and fresh, it's like breaking open a very crisp head of lettuce.
Juno Wine Co. 2006 (Robertson) $7.99
Very Good
Best value (tie). Particularly mouth-popping, with layers of taste and a lime kick, with some mouthfeel and weight. Charming and sophisticated.
Steenberg 2007 (Constantia) $14.99
Very Good
Voluptuously ripe fruit, filled with mouth-watering tastes and even an unusual hint of celery. We also liked the very juicy Steenberg 2007 "Western Cape," $9.99.
Buitenverwachting 'Beyond' 2006 (Coastal Region) $9.95
Good/Very Good
Very pleasant, with charm and relaxed, easy fruit. Casual; good to keep in the refrigerator as a house wine.
Mulderbosch Vineyards 2006 (Stellenbosch) $19.95
Good/Very Good
Balanced and whole, with no false notes and no rough edges. Long, clean, lemony finish. Reliable name. We also liked its 2007 Chenin Blanc ($12.99).
Neil Ellis Wines 'Sincerely' 2007 (Western Cape) $9.99
Good/Very Good
Complex and interesting, with plenty going on: minerals, green pepper and more weight in the middle of the mouth than most.
CHENIN BLANC
Vinum Africa 2006 (Stellenbosch) $10.95
Delicious
Best of tasting. Bright, confident and grown-up, with crisp apples, some minerals and tremendous focus. Serve this at a fancy dinner party. We also liked the 2005.
Ken Forrester Vineyards "Petit Chenin" 2007 (Stellenbosch) $9.95
Very Good
Best value. Fine fruit, with broad, green-apple tastes and a splash of lime, with nice tartness at the finish. We also liked the rich 2005 Chenin Blanc ($14.99).
Spier 'Discover' 2007 $8.99
Good/Very Good
Crisp and ripe, with interesting layers of taste to make meals more interesting. Could age nicely.
NOTE: Wines are rated on a scale that ranges: Yech, OK, Good, Very Good, Delicious and Delicious! These came from:
California, New Jersey, New York and Texas. Prices vary widely.
So we wondered if American consumers are slow in embracing South African wines for good reason or if they're missing something. We decided to focus on South African Sauvignon Blanc, which is pretty widely available and which we've liked in the past. While we were at it, we decided to try a few South African Chenin Blancs to get a sense of the state of the art of that varietal.
We bought a large sample of Sauvignon Blancs from four states and tasted them in blind flights. Our verdict: If you are seriously interested in good values today, this is an aisle you should visit. We found the wines consistently good and consistently interesting. Winemakers all over the world are making good Sauvignon Blanc these days (more on that next week) but these have their own, distinctive styles.
Interesting Layers
Sauvignon Blanc classically has smells of fresh-cut grass and juicy, up-front tastes of various tropical fruits, such as kiwi and passion fruit. The best of these, though, were more dramatic, with the most amazing tastes of bell peppers. Now, wait a minute. We know most people don't like green pepper in their wine. But have you ever had a really fresh, really ripe green pepper, the kind that bursts with sweet juice when you cut it? We have. In fact, we used to pick our own and eat them still warm from the sun. That's what many of these wines brought to mind. They were juicy and bright, with significant varietal flavors.
Several had a hint of minerals and the kind of complexity -- interesting layers and different tastes depending on the temperature and the food -- that we look for in a fine wine. In wine after wine, the finish was long, clean, fresh and lovely. While even some good Sauvignon Blancs have exciting tastes at the front of the mouth and lively finishes but not much going on in the middle, many of these were complete, with interesting tastes from beginning to end. They also had a certain weight that made them more sophisticated than many other Sauvignon Blancs. What's more, the prices were great; all of our favorites cost less than $20, and four cost less than $10. Our favorite, Southern Right, is owned by Anthony Hamilton Russell of Hamilton Russell Vineyards, one of our longtime favorite South African wineries. The importer, Vineyard Brands of Birmingham, Ala., says the winery made about 10,000 cases of the Sauvignon Blanc, of which 3,600 cases were imported into the U.S. and distributed nationwide.
We thought it would be fun to move on to some Chenin Blancs to see how they compared. Our sample wasn't as large because we didn't intend to conduct a full tasting, but lightning struck early. While Chenin Blanc is a devalued name in the U.S., it's one of the world's great grapes when it's done right, especially in the Loire Valley of France, and can make luscious, long-lived wines. To our delight, we discovered a wine that fulfilled that promise in our very first flight. "Seriously grown-up wine with remarkable clarity," we wrote. "Very crisp, dry and clean, but not lacking fruit -- especially green apples -- and minerals. Focused and extremely clean. Good for a fancy dinner party. Bright and confident, with an endless, clean finish." We rated this wine Delicious. It turned out to be Vinum Africa 2006. The price: $10.95. Outrageous. The importer, Vinnovative Imports of Charlotte, N.C., says the winery made 3,500 cases of the 2006 Chenin Blanc, of which 1,500 were imported and distributed in 12 states.
A Match for Food
We found the Chenin Blancs beautifully dry, well-made and quite different from the Sauvignon Blancs. While Sauvignon Blanc is crisp and juicy and fun, Chenin Blanc has broader tastes, the kind of flavors to build a meal around as opposed to the kick-back-and-relax tastes of gulpable Sauvignon Blanc. As Dottie said about one: "It's soft, but just plain pleasing. It doesn't shout. It's comfortable playing second fiddle to food." We also felt the Sauvignon Blancs would never be more charming than today, while the Chenin Blancs could age beautifully for a few years.
Not all of the South African whites were winners, of course. When you taste one, remember this word: focus. To us, the difference between the best and the rest was a clean, clear, crisp focus of flavors. If you taste one and the flavors seem diffuse and don't seem to go ping in your mouth, try another. Still, throughout the tasting, we talked about how few of the wines were losers. The average level of quality, especially considering the price, was high. The wines were generally well-made and sometimes risky. They're worth more attention than they are getting from consumers.