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GRAPEEXPECTATIONS 
South Africa
Arrives In Style
Trends Continue, and So
Will Savvy Operators' Sales
The rest of the wine consuming world knew only too well that South
Africa had a wine producing heritage with more than 300 years of
history, but due to the lack of global wine knowledge of most American
wine consumers and the effects of apartheid on restricting the
importation of South African wines into the U.S. market, this rich wine
tradition with some of the best variety of wine styles was virtually a
secret in America until very recently. At long last, South Africa has
arrived in style with plenty of great wine values across a wide
spectrum of styles. South African wines are gainging popularity
worldwide on an ever-accelerating basis, as evidenced by the just
concluded Cape Wines 2006 Symposium and Trade Exhibition at Cape Town,
South Africa, which I attended. Wine buyers and enthusiast from all parts of the world, including
significant delegations from the United States and Canada, were very
active at the show.
A Bevy of Brands
Shiraz, newer styles of Pinotage, Bordeaux and Cape Blends, Chardonnay,
Chenin Blanc and of course Sauvignon Blanc dominate with both the big
houses as well as the botiques finding welcome markets for their wines
from Beijing to New York and everywhere in between. Some of the top
appellations from the Cape of Good Hope, as the Cape Town region often
is described, are Stellenbosch, Paarl, Constantia, Robertson,
Franschhoek and Darling, to name but a few.
I spoke with Peter Morales, president and CEO of 57 Main Street
Imports, one of the first serious American importers of South African
wines. I asked him about the prospects for the next vintage and why he
feels South Africa finally has arrived as a serious competitor on the
American wine scene. Morales cited four reasons for the increased
interest here.
“For the first time in history, a South African winery, Vergelegen
(part of the Anglo-American/DeBeers Luxury Portfolio) is being named
‘New World Winery of the Year’ by Wine Enthusiast,” Morales said.
“Second, there is a huge increase in tourism in South Africa from the
United States. Third, South Africa has some of the most diverse soil
types of any region in the world, which means that a wider variety of
important varietals can find unique expression via the wider variety of
terroir that constitutes South Africa, and fourth, 57 Main Street, Cape
Classics, Distell, Southern Starz and several others have been working
day and night over many years to build value perception awareness as
well as distribution for South African wines in the United States. So,
it doesn’t surprise me at all.”
Morales said examples would be the KWV “Steen” or Chenin Blanc, KWV
Roodeberg, Boschendal Sauvignon Blanc, Bellevue Estate Tumara Pinotage,
Groot Constantia Pinotage, Seidelberg Roland’s Reserve Shiraz and now
South Africa’s first icon-cult wine, ‘V’ from Vergelegen.
Profitable Pinotage
“Probably one of the most misunderstood varietals of South Africa is
Pinotage, considered by many the ‘red wine grape’ of South Africa,”
Morales said. The majority of Pinotage plantings are all in South
Africa. A cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsault (then commonly referred to
as “Hermitage” in South Africa) created the new hybrid species.
“It’s a new day for South African wines and for Pinotage, the unique
varietal from the Cape of Good Hope,” Morales said. “The emphasis
is on quality and innovation from the vineyard to the bottle.
Today, the Pinotage coming out of South Africa ranges from light and
fruity as a delicate Beaujolais that pairs well with fish dishes to the
complex reserve styles that complement game and venison ... with rich
sauces.”
NCB
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