Vineyard in South Africa
According to some reports, alcohol beverage consumption has climbed roughly 34 percent since COVID-19 has kept many wine drinkers from socializing and sharing new enological finds with friends and extended families.
But socializing while drinking wine—discussing flavor trends and enjoying the camaraderie of the glass—is an essential part of the experience. Wines of South Africa USA, the American marketing arm of that country’s nearly 400-year-old wine industry, understands this and has created some interesting online and in-print resources to help drinkers raise their glasses socially while hunkering down independently until the virus has run its course. (And based on current statistics, the U.S. pandemic won’t disappear from our lives any time soon.)
For those unfamiliar, the history of South African wines dates to 1659. Jan van Riebeeck, an employee of the Dutch East India Co., established a supply station at what is now Cape Town in 1652 so that the company’s fleets, traveling to and from the Far East, had a place to refresh their crews and re-provision their ships. Van Riebeeck, a surgeon by training, was given the task of managing the station and planting vineyards to produce wine and grapes to help sailors ward off scurvy during long sea voyages. He produced his first wine in 1659.
The industry grew and, by 1778, South Africa had perfected a dessert wine made from native Muscat grapes that became a European favorite. But that particular wine notwithstanding, the industry early on traded quality for quantity and cheap bulk wines became its hallmark. Despite their earlier success in Europe, South African wines were unavailable in the U.S. for much of the later 20th century due to trade restrictions caused by the country’s apartheid laws. The crippling national legislation that led to the country’s racial stratification overseen by a white supremacist minority was repealed in 1994, and South African wines once again began to populate the U.S. wine scene.
Back to the Global Market
South African vintners quickly discovered just how out-of-step their bulk wine mentality had been with the global market. Fortunately for them, new techniques and an emphasis on higher quality and individual varietals began in the 1970s, so the industry quickly adjusted its course. There are now 60 individual appellations, or specific winegrowing regions, many hugging South Africa’s southern coast to take advantage of its Mediterranean-like climate. The industry also has done its part to help reverse apartheid’s damaging trends, and a number of talented Black South African winemakers have started to help move the industry in a positive social as well as enological direction.
Right now, Chenin Blanc remains the largest planting among South African vineyards, occupying roughly a quarter of the country’s more than 270,000 acres of vines. The varietal, which originated France’s Loire Valley region, favors the country’s mild climate and suits an industry that aligns itself more with European vintners than any “new world” wineries, such as those in the U.S., Australia and other countries.
But what really sets South Africa apart is Pinotage, its own hybrid of the Pinot Noir and Cinsault varietals, first created in 1925. But opinions of the wine differ even among South Africa’s enological elite. At its best, Pinotage is like no other wine, blending flavors of mulberry and blackberry with a flicker of lava stone and wood fire smoke. But the wine’s excessive tannins make it a difficult grape to tame. Unless the winemaking is exceptionally skillful, Pinotage can suffer from volatile acidity levels, giving it a flavor of what wine writer Oz Clarke describes as “raspberry vinegar.”
In other words, there’s a lot to learn about Sought African wines, and this is where the industry itself comes in. Wines of South Africa (WOSA) has three relatively new resources you can tap that will boost both your education and enjoyment of the country’s enological output.
• Starting May 1, WOSA marketing director Jim Clarke (no relation to Oz Clarke) began narrating a series of podcasts aimed educating both new and experienced drinkers in the ways of South African wines. The eight-episode series introduces listeners to some of the country’s more famous wine regions, including Swartland and Hemel-en-Aarde, as well as tackling some of its more prominent varietals, including both Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. Think of them as “sip-along-and-learn” sessions guided by Clarke, a former sommelier.
• In July, Clarke also published The Wines of South Africa (The Classic Wine Library), an extensive volume designed to further the education offered in the podcasts. The book is available in both printed and Kindle e-format from Amazon.com.
• The most interesting online service, however, and the one best suited to revive your wine social life may be WOSA’s Somm Session. The thesis is simple: pull together five wine friends, each of whom goes out and purchases a different bottle of South African wine; find a currently furloughed sommelier to lead a group tasting via Zoom or another online technology; pop your corks and get pouring. And if you don’t know a sommelier versed in South African wines WOSA is willing to hook you up with one. Check the WOSA website for an application form.
By the time you and your friends are done with all of that, everyone should be well-versed in South African wine. And you don’t even need to have the dog in the room not to drink alone.
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