South Africa
South African Wine
The Cape has been making wine for over 350 years, but the wines worth arguing about now are mostly younger than 25 — the result of a generation of producers moving into cooler, higher and more coastal sites.
The regions
Stellenbosch is the heartland for Cabernet Sauvignon and Bordeaux blends. Hemel-en-Aarde, inland from Hermanus on the south coast, is the cool-climate address for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. Swartland to the north works with old-vine Chenin Blanc and Rhône varieties — Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault — in a deliberately unpolished style. Elgin and Constantia supply Sauvignon Blanc and cool-site whites.
What to expect
Two things make the Cape worth attention. The first is Chenin Blanc: South Africa has more of it, and older vines of it, than the Loire, and it is the country's best value white by a distance. The second is that alcohol levels and oak use have come down sharply — modern Cape Pinot Noir and Syrah sit closer to Burgundy and the northern Rhône in weight than to Australia. Prices remain below the equivalent from France, which is the reason to look.
Serving
Cabernet and Bordeaux blends 16–18°C; Pinot Noir and Cinsault 14–16°C; Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay 10–12°C.
Filters
Stellenrust Timeless 2013 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Peppergrinder's Shiraz 2021 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Peppergrinder's Shiraz 2018 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Corner Stone Pinotage 2023 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Pinotage 2023 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Pinotage 2022 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Wild Yeast Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2021 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Wild Yeast Barrel Fermented Chardonnay 2017 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust 59 Barrel Fermented Chenin Blanc 2023 (1x75cl)
Stellenrust Chenin Blanc 2024 (1x75cl)
TWO OCEANS Shiraz 2023 (1x75cl)
TWO OCEANS Sauvignon Blanc 2024 (1x75cl)
TWO OCEANS Chardonnay 2024 (1x75cl)
BELLINGHAM - Big Oak Shiraz 2023 (1x75cl)
BELLINGHAM - Pear Tree Chenin Blanc 2022 (1x75cl)
Kloof Street Swartland Chenin Blanc 2023 (1x75cl)
Warwick Estate Trilogy Magnum 2016 (1x150cl)
Warwick Estate Trilogy Magnum 2014 (1x150cl)
Warwick The First Lady Unoaked Chardonnay 2023 (1x75cl)
Warwick Estate Trilogy 2020 (1x75cl)
Warwick Three Cape Ladies 2021 (1x75cl)
Warwick Three Cape Ladies 2020 (1x75cl)
BELLINGHAM - Homestead Shiraz 2021 (1x75cl)
MEERLUST ESTATE - Rubicon (Cabernet/Merlot/Cabernet Franc) - Magnum 2017 (1x150cl)
Vin de Constance 2020 (1x50cl)
Vilafonte Seriously Old Dirt 2021 (1x75cl)
Vilafonte Series M 2021 (1x75cl)
Klein Constantia - Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine 2017 (1x50cl)
Boschendal Estate Special Cuvee Nicolas 2021 (1x75cl)
Rupert & Rothschild Baron Edmond 2018 (1x75cl)
Unjani Pinotage 2021 (1x75cl)
Rall White Coastal Region 2020 (1x75cl)
Rall Grenache Blanc Piekenierskloof 2020 (1x75cl)
Mullineux Swartland Schist Syrah 2019 (1x75cl)
Mullineux Swartland Granite Syrah 2019 (1x75cl)
Kloof Street Swartland Rouge 2018 (1x75cl)
Klein Constantia - Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine 2019 (1x50cl)
Goats do Roam White (SC) 2021 (1x75cl)
Goats do Roam Red (SC) 2021 (1x75cl)
Goats do Roam Red (SC) 2020 (1x75cl)
Goats do Roam Goat Roti Syrah/Viognier South Africa 2017 (1x75cl)
Alheit Vineyards Nautical Dawn Stellenbosch Chenin Blanc 2021 (1x75cl)
Boschendal Estate Special Cuvee Suzanne Blanc 2022 (1x75cl)
Boschendal Estate Methode Cap Classique Jean Le Long Prestige Cuvee 2009 (1x75cl)
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