Virtual Wine Tasting: Exploring South African Wine

On Saturday 19th June, I’ll be hosting a Virtual Wine Tasting to explore the wines of South Africa! Book by Thursday 10th June to receive your three-bottle pack of wines through the post in time for the tasting. You can find more details here.

I’m still scratching the surface of South Africa as a wine region. I’m fascinated by its history (it’s the only wine-growing area in the world where you can say what the exact year of the first grape harvest was – 1659) but I’m even more hooked by the wines themselves. If you like your classic French wines, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Merlot, Chardonnay – then I hope you’ve discovered South African wine. With a perfect Mediterranean climate along the mountainsides and the coastlines of the Western Cape, the grapes produce wines found in a Bordeaux lover’s dreams - but South Africa has also made its own mark with its national grape variety, Pinotage, and its adopted one, Chenin Blanc.

South Africa is one of the leading wine-producing countries in the Southern Hemisphere (the eighth largest in the world) and, with over 360 years of winemaking under its belt, it sits firmly between the Old World and the New World of wine.

The rollercoaster history of the South Africa’s wine industry resembles a struggling vine (but remember - struggling vines always make the best wines!). There was at first success, which spread all over Europe in the 1700s. Then, phylloxera came to devastate the vines and when they recovered, over-production quickly followed, driving down the quality of the wines. Just when things were looking up, apartheid caused political isolation from the rest of the world and South African products were largely boycotted. Then, from the 1990s onwards, after apartheid had ended, South African producers adopted new viticultural and winemaking techniques in a shift towards quality. This has been a lasting commitment, which has finally earned the South Africa wine industry a global embrace. 

Now, it’s clear to see that the wines really do speak for themselves. Come and experience a mini-tour of South African wine for yourself and join me at this Virtual Tasting. You can find out more and book your tickets here.