South Africa Wine & Food

Wines

In recent years South Africa has emerged from the shadow of Apartheid, and its wines have begun once more to make an impact on the international market. The style of wine coming from this reborn nation seems to straddle the New World and the Old, combining the ripe fruit of the former with the elegance and restraint of the latter.

Despite the warm climate, South African plantings have in the past been dominated by white varieties, especially Chenin Blanc, also referred to as Steen. This is changing, and there are increased plantings of international varieties including Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah/Shiraz, as well as the Cape's own variety, Pinotage. This latter grape was created by Professor Perold in 1925 at Stellenbosch University, when he crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsault (also called Hermitage) in an attempt to develop a grape with the elegance of the former and yet the hardiness of the latter.

Around Cape Town is Stellenbosch, responsible for probably the Cape's finest red wines, although there are a range of styles produced here. Although responsible for less than a fifth of all wine production, it is undoubtedly the centre of the South African wine industry. Many leading estates have their headquarters here.
My top wines: Beyerskloof, Longridge, Rust en Vrede, Rustenberg, Kanonkop, Thelema, Neil Ellis, Meerlust and Warwick Estate.

Directly to the east, on the Atlantic coast, is Constantia. The source of the dessert wine Vin de Constance, drunk by Napoleon when exiled on St Helena, this region is now also the source for some excellent table wines.
My top wines: Klein Constantia (their Vin de Constance is stunning), Buitenverwachting.

Inland of Stellenbosch is Paarl. A diverse range of styles are produced here, including dessert wines and flor-influenced wines very much in the style of Sherry. It is home to a number of top estates.
My top wines: Veenwouden leads the way with their Classic blend, also Plaisir de Merle, Glen Carlou, Nederberg and Welgemeend. Clos Malverne has produced a large range of good value wines in past years.

To the south is Elgin, one of South Africa's newest regions. There are already signs that top quality wines will be produced here, including Pinot Noir.
My top wines: Paul Cluver.

Further round the coast is Walker Bay, a relatively cool climate region which as always has led to the planting of Pinot Noir. This is probably the most exciting South African region for this variety, with several estates having considerable success. There is also some very good Chardonnay.
My top wines: Hamilton-Russell, Bouchard-Finlayson.

The remaining coastal regions, Piketberg,Swartland and Overberg are of less significance. Moving inland, there are a number of hot, arid wine wards, including Worcester, Robertson, Tulbagh and Little Karoo. Save for a few interesting estates, the wines produced here are of less interest to the wine lover. Olifant's River, to the north, is another jug wine region.
My top wines: Graham Beck produces some good sparkling wines.

Vintages
Better vintages in recent years include 1997, 1995 and 1992.

c/o The Winedoctor

Cuisine

Southern Africa does not have a hugely developed cuisine that it can call its own, but there are a few dishes worth looking out for. Easiest on the newly initiated palate are the Cape Malay dishes, characterized by sweet aromatic curries. These include bobotie, a delicious baked meatloaf, mildly curried and served with chutney; and bredie, a tomato-based stew, usually with lamb. Another Cape delicacy not to be missed is waterblommetjie bredie, or waterlily stew, usually cooked with lamb. Many South African menus also feature Karoo lamb, favored because the sweet and aromatic herbs and grasses of this arid region flavor the animals as they graze, and ostrich, a delicious red meat that tastes more like beef than anything else and is extremely healthy. Your dessert may be melktert, a cinnamon-flavored custard tart of Dutch origin; malva pudding, served with hot custard; or koeksisters, plaited doughnuts, deep-fried and dipped in syrup.

On the East Coast, Durban is famed for its Indian curries, whose burn potential is indicated by such ingenious names as Honeymooners' Delight (hot) and Mother-in-Law Exterminator (damn hot!). The coastline supplies seafood in abundance: fish, abalone, mussels, oysters, crabs, squid, langoustines, and the Cape's famous rock lobster (crayfish), but for a uniquely South African-flavored seafood feast, you'll need to head for one of the West Coast beach restaurants. Here, snoek, a firm white fish, is traditionally served with konfyt (fruits preserved in sugar syrup, from the French confit, a legacy of the French Huguenots).

Look for the spiraling smoke trailing over suburban fences and township yards each weekend, when throughout the country South Africans barbecue fresh meat over coals. The ubiquitous braaivleis (barbecues) or tshisanyamas (literally "burn the meat") feature anything from ostrich to boerewors; the latter, a coriander-spiced beef-and-pork sausage, is arguably South Africa's staple meat. The most basic African foodstuff is corn, most popularly eaten as pap, a ground maize porridge, and not unlike polenta, or the rougher wholegrain samp, and served with a vegetable- or meat-based sauce.