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SOUTH AFRICA
– NEW VARIETIES –
breezes from the Atlantic Ocean during the day and cool
night air flowing down the mountain, resulting in even
ripening of the berries and good natural acidity,’ says wine
famer/vigneron Jasper Raats. ‘The vines are meticulously
cared for by hand to ensure maximum quality and the
wine is organically produced.’
A far more recent Italian import is the Sardinian grape
Nero d’Avola, which was first planted at Bosman Family
Vineyards in Wellington in 2004. Says owner Petrus
Bosman: ‘Nero doesn’t just survive; it thrives under the
bright African sun. Even on the hottest day, the grapes
remain vibrant and fresh in the vineyard, needing much
less water than their neighbouring varietals.’ Cellarmaster
Corlea Fourie agrees: ‘It thrives in our warm climate, with
higher natural acidities than some of its red counterparts.
The wine we have bottled since 2013 is still medium
bodied, but I believe structure and extraction depth will
follow over the next few years as the vineyards come into
their stride.’
Other varieties thriving in Bosman’s Wellington vineyards
include a Cinsault and a skin-fermented Grenache Blanc.
‘Our viticulture landscape is sure to change in future when
we start to adapt to water-saving strategies and to droughtand
heat-resistant cultivars,’ says Fourie.
Arco Laarman believes SA can achieve the same recognition for Cinsault
that it already has for Chenin Blanc
OBRIGADO PORTUGAL
Thanks to SA having a proud history of Port-style fortified
wine production, it’s perhaps not surprising that several
Portuguese grapes have been cultivated locally since the
1920s, with some of them now also very successfully used
for table wines. For example, the Gilbert & Gaillard panel
was very impressed with the Moordenaarskloof Tinta
Barocca 2019 produced by Stellenbosch estate Dornier
from a Swartland vineyard, awarding it 92 points.
‘That vineyard was a lucky find,’ says Dornier winemaker
Philip van Staden. ‘We were buying Chenin Blanc from
the grower when we noticed the Tinta Barocca. When we
asked about it, they said they were going to pull it out
because they were selling it to the local co-operative at a
loss. We immediately offered to pay double. It makes a
phenomenal wine, with all the fruit, concentration and
structure you get in Port, with soft velvety tannins.’
When it comes to Portuguese whites, it was a blend of
the Madeiran grape Verdelho with Chenin Blanc and
Chardonnay that really impressed the panel: the Cavalli
Pinot Noir pioneer Peter Finlayson, the mastermind behind
Bouchard Finlayson’s innovative Hannibal blend in the 1990s
WINTER 2021 GILBERT & GAILLARD - THE FRENCH EXPERTS ON WINE 117