The biennial Wines of South Africa tasting has rolled into town for two days. Two days? Do we really need a two-day event? It was fairly quiet at the event on its first day with just a steady trickle of journos, importers and freeloaders. The top producers including Vergelegen and Jordan were buzzing but many winery reps looked a bit forlorn standing behind their tables.
I continue to have high hopes when I go to South African tastings and each time they are dashed. Perhaps I should be a little less optimistic next time.
There were some stars including Vergelegen’s flagship white – a 75% Semillon, 25% Sauvignon blend, aged in new French oak. The 2007 was almost Bordeaux-esque with light body, fresh acidity, plenty of nuttiness and citrus aromas. It’s a whacking 14% but you wouldn’t guess.
I also enjoyed Klein Constantia’s 2008 Chardonnay. Shame on me for having to ask where Constantia was (it’s on the narrow Cape Peninsula which projects southwards into the southern Atlantic ocean if you didn’t know either) but my South African geography is not up to scratch. While the wine has a rich mid palate with honey and white peach, it’s actually clean and fresh with a lovely linear finish – most likely thanks to the cooling influence of the Ocean breeze.
Members of the press are accused of not giving the country’s reds a fair chance but from what I tasted today, I’m still unconvinced by the general standard. There were too many wines with green, herbaceous notes, high alcohol (14.5% is not uncommon) and that savoury character, which reminds me of Stilton cheese. There are some stand outs (for example Iona, The Foundry, Jordan) but I’ve come away disappointed again. No doubt I’ll be back at the next South Africa tasting keen to be disproved.
