WineLife365

Posts Tagged ‘South Africa’

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At some point in this lifetime, I see myself falling head over heels in love with South African wines.  I want to love them – I really do – but it sure is difficult when you feel like you’ve been shot out of a hookah pipe when tasting them.  However, I’ll be damned to write off an entire varietal, let alone the wines from an entire country!  My tastes have evolved over the years, so I won’t let my reservations – most notably towards smoky South African wine - stand in the way of finding some exciting South African wines to share with you.

Last night…

There we were, the two of us in our little bat cave in the basement, enjoying a stack of burritos topped with charred and fried sweet corn niblets (I’ve been dying to use the word niblets in a post ), green chilies, spicy salsa and a mound of sour cream.  Not a pretty sight for a Kodak moment, so I’ll spare you the picture.

I grabbed two South African wines from Partnership Vineyards.  Partnership Vineyards is the result of a partnership between farmers and Riebeek Cellars in South Africa’s Riebeek Valley. Since 2004, they have planted nearly 60 hectares; 15 hectares dedicated to Sauvignon Blanc plantings on the farm they aptly named Partnership Vineyards.  This fair trade venture is divvied up 40% farm and cellar workers, 40% farmers and 20% Riebeek Cellars. Riebeek Cellars serves as the marketing and production arm of this unique, empowering initiative.

Our first wine was the 2009 Partnership Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc (Sample, MSRP: $13).  I’ll sum this wine up in a few words:  a mouthful of fresh pineapple laced with an herbaceous smoky undertone.  A piece of advice:  don’t over-chill this Sauvignon Blanc like I did.  Once it warmed up, the flavors really shined and paired well with those spicy burritos.

2 Stars out of 4 for the 2009 Partnership Vineyards Sauvignon Blanc.

The second wine of the night was the 2008 Partnership Vineyards Shiraz (Sample, MSRP: $13).  Unfortunately, this red gave me flashbacks of my less than stellar encounters with other South African reds.  Right off the bat, its savory smokiness had me gasping for air.  The combination of Slim-Jim, tobacco, vanilla, menthol and a slight hint of plum was all a bit much for me at first.  This wine needs a lot of time out of the bottle to let off some smoke before consuming.  It was much more approachable and appealing on the second day.

2 Stars out of 4 for the 2008 Partnership Vineyards Shiraz.

Recently, I was treated to a marvelous 100% Chenin Blanc, also known as Steen, from South Africa’s Riebeek Cellars.  Established in 1941, Riebeek Cellars is situated in Riebeek Kasteel, at the foot of Bothma’s Kloof Pass, on the western coast of the Cape Province of South Africa.  The winery sources its grapes from the Riebeek Valley where the climate is very similar to the Mediterranean.  The Riebeek Valley has become a popular tourist destination for travelers that are passionate about wine, exceptional fine-dining and exquisite artwork.

The Royal, 2009 Old Vines Steen (Chenin Blanc), sourced from 48 year-old vines in the Swartland wine growing region is by far the most beautiful, elegant, and food–friendly South African white wine that I’ve tasted all year.

This unoaked 100% Chenin Blanc, channels some of the best acidity and fruit characteristics found in many French and New Zealand white wines.  For 10 bucks, drinkers are greeted to a terrific balance of tropical and fresh fruit flavors, with acidity that is reminiscent of a New Zealand Sauvignon Blanc, and a flinty and honeysuckle finish that tastes downright French.

3 Stars out of 4 for The Royal, 2009 Old Vines Steen (Chenin Blanc).  It’s food-friendly and perfect for toasting any occasion – and it’s only 10 bucks!

Wine clubs are a fun and easy way to experience different wines from around the world.  Many offer its members an opportunity to try award-winning boutique wines that in most cases are not available for purchase through traditional retail channels.  One particular wine club that recently caught my attention is the Worthwhile Wine Club.  The Worthwhile Wine Company is an importer of only South African wines that are “made sustainably.”

Founded by Mr. Tom Lynch in May 2009, the Worthwhile Wine Company was formed as a result of an inspirational trip that he took with his daughter to South Africa in the summer of 2008.  Mr. Lynch and his daughter spent part of their trip volunteering in a small, poor remote Zulu village.  When they returned home, Mr. Lynch soon started a nonprofit to help South African villages learn how to sustainably grow more of their own food, and provide the materials they needed to get started.

In the book, The Triple Bottom Line, Mr. Andrew Savitz describes a sustainable corporation as “one that creates profit while protecting the environment and improving the lives of those with whom it interacts.” Or, said another way, sustainability is “the art of doing business in an interdependent world.”

The vision of Tom Lynch and Worthwhile Wines is to only import “wines that go about the business of making great wines with an eye toward taking better care of the earth and those with whom they interact”, taking place in a number of different ways.

Worthwhile Wine Company operates as a Fair Trade Certified Importer that buys carbon offsets for every shipment of wine that they import and uses alternative energy whenever possible (down to the servers that run its website), and the company donates a portion of its net proceeds to charities in both the US and South Africa.

Among the company’s extensive portfolio, I was offered the opportunity to sample the 2008 Rooiberg Winery Reserve Chardonnay (MSRP: $13 US).  I didn’t really know what to expect when opening this environmentally–conscious South African Chardonnay, but I was definitely hoping that the smokiness that I detect and detest in many South African reds like Pinotage was not floating around in my glass of Chardonnay.  To my surprise, I found this wine jam-packed with gobs of butterscotch, citrus, and vanilla-oak flavors.  This Chardonnay reminded me more of a big, “in your face” California-styled Chardonnay – it was a far detour from South Africa’s usual light and lively flagship Chenin Blanc, also know as Steen, wine.

The biggest surprise, however, was that this Chardonnay sustained life in my refrigerator for over 5 days!  I had nearly forgotten about it, but while poking my head around in the fridge looking for the tuna-fish salad that my wife had made the day before, I stumbled across this half empty bottle of wine and decided to give it a go with lunch.  To my amazement, the 2008 Rooiberg Winery Reserve Chardonnay was still very much alive and kicking and was absolutely perfect with my tuna-fish sandwich topped with lettuce and tomatoes on whole wheat bread.

3 Stars out of 4.  Worthwhile Wines is definitely not your ordinary wine club, and from a quality/price standpoint, lovers of the big oaky style Chardonnay can feel good that their dollars are paying it forward to help others and the planet.

…but all I found was cigarettes and alcohol.

I really love and appreciate wines of unique character.  This past weekend in New York, I was reminded of how much this actually means to me, as I found lots to love in the wines I tasted from Argentina and Brazil.  Frustratingly though, one place that I can’t seem to fall in love with is South Africa.  Maybe it’s the wines and producers that I’m trying, maybe it’s just me.  Maybe it’s a little of both!?  Who knows.

Time and time again over the years, whether it’s been a Pinotage, a Cab, or even a Syrah – I’ve been greeted by that distinctive smell and taste of smoky, red cherry tobacco that leaves me feeling green for days in an awful kind of way.  Is this familiar smell and taste just a byproduct of the climate, geography, and soil conditions that exist in South Africa?  Or, does it have more to do in creating a particular style of red wine that is uniquely South African?  Whatever it is, I just can’t seem to find many South African red wines under $20 that satisfy my palate.

Last night marked another chapter in my quest to find a satisfying and affordable South African red wine that I could fall in love with.  On the advice taken from a wine guy at my local wine shop, I decided to give the 2007 Excelsior Cabernet Sauvignon a shot.

My wine guy gave this wine two enthusiastic thumbs up.  I, on the other hand, give this wine 2 stars out of 4.  Why?  For $7.99, it provided that familiar long lasting smoky, rich cherry tobacco flavor that I just can’t stomach.  However, it is unique – that’s for sure!  On that merit alone, I’m sure that someone else will appreciate it for what it is, just like my local wine guy did.  My mission to find an affordable 4-star South African red continues.