Major achievers in Platter’s 2016:

Winery of the Year
Mullineux & Leeux Family Wines

White Wine of the Year
Warwick The White Lady Chardonnay 2014

Red Wine of the Year
Mullineux Iron Syrah 2013

Dessert Wine of the Year
Mullineux Olerasay Straw Wine NV

Wineries are assigned an individual taster – all wines which received a sighted rating of either Four and Half Stars or nominated for Five Stars went through to a blind taste-off, over 600 wines in the running. Those endorsed as Five Stars as follows:

Méthode Cap Classique
Anura Vineyards Brut 2011
Cederberg Private Cellar Blanc de Blancs Brut 2010

Chardonnay
Buitenverwachting 2014
Dorrance Wines Cuvée Anaïs 2014
GlenWood Grand Duc 2013
Graham Beck Wines Lonehill 2014
Haskell Vineyards Anvil 2014
MVH Signature Wines 2014
Newton Johnson Vineyards Family Vineyards 2014
Paul Cluver Estate Wines Seven Flags 2014
Sterhuis Barrel Selection 2013
Sumaridge Wines 2013
Warwick Estate The White Lady 2014

Chenin Blanc
Botanica Wines Mary Delany 2014
David & Nadia Sadie Hoë-Steen 2014
Eenzaamheid 2013
Kaapzicht Wine Estate The 1947 2014
Keermont Vineyards Riverside 2014
Ken Forrester Wines Old Vine Reserve 2014
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines Granite 2014

Roussanne
Bellingham Bernard Series Whole Bunch 2015

Sauvignon Blanc
Cederberg Private Cellar David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner 2014
Nederburg Wines The Young Airhawk 2014
Neil Ellis Wines Groenekloof 2015
Spier 21 Gables 2014

Semillon
Constantia Uitsig 2014
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines CWG Auction Reserve The Gris 2014

Viognier
The Foundry 2014

White Blends
Bloemendal Estate Kanonberg 2014
Cape Point Vineyards CWG Auction Reserve White 2014
Constantia Glen Two 2014
Constantia Uitsig Natura Vista 2014
David & Nadia Sadie Aristargos 2014
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines White Blend 2014
Newton Johnson Vineyards Resonance 2014
Nitida Cellars Coronata Integration 2014
Oak Valley Wines Mountain Reserve White Blend 2011
Sadie Family Wines ‘T Voetpad 2014
Spier Creative Block 2 2014
Waterkloof Circle of Life White 2013

Cabernet Franc
Cape Chamonix Wine Farm 2013

Cabernet Sauvignon
Delaire Graff Estate Laurence Graff Reserve 2012
Guardian Peak Wines Lapa 2013
Kleine Zalze Wines Vineyard Selection 2012

Cinsaut
AA Badenhorst Family Wines Ramnasgras 2014

Grenache Noir
David & Nadia Sadie 2014

Pinotage
Beeslaar 2013
Rijk’s Reserve 2011
Spier 21 Gables 2013
Windmeul Cellar Reserve 2014

Pinot Noir
Bouchard Finlayson Galpin Peak 2013
Newton Johnson Vineyards Family Vineyards 2014

Shiraz/Syrah
Bellingham Bernard Series Basket Press 2013
Eagles’ Nest 2012
Leeuwenkuil Family Vineyards Heritage 2013
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines Iron 2013
Reyneke 2013
Richard Kershaw Wine Clonal Selections Elgin 2013
Vondeling Erica 2012

Red blends
AA Badenhorst Family Wines Red 2013
Delaire Graff Estate Botmaskop 2013
Ernie Els Wines CWG Auction Reserve 2013
Fleur du Cap Laszlo 2012
Haskell Vineyards Haskell IV 2010
Kaapzicht Wine Estate Steytler Vision 2012
Luddite Wines Saboteur 2012
Meerlust Estate Rubicon 2010
Miles Mossop Wines Max 2012
Mulderbosch Vineyards Faithful Hound 2013
Mvemve Raats MR de Compostella 2013
Nico van der Merwe Wines Mas Nicolas Cape 2013
Savage Wines CWG Auction Reserve Follow the Line 2013
Spier CWG Auction Reserve Frans K Smit 2011
The Winery of Good Hope Radford Dale Black Rock 2013
Vuurberg Reserve 2012

Sweet wine
Miles Mossop Wines Kika Noble Late Harvest 2014
Nederburg Wines Winemaster’s Reserve Noble Late Harvest 2014
Klein Constantia Estate Vin de Constance 2011
Mullineux & Leeu Family Wines Olerasay Straw Wine NV
La Couronne Wines Muscadel NV
Boplaas Family Vineyards Heritage Reserve White Muscadel 2012

Port-style
Boplaas Family Vineyards Cape Vintage Reserve 2012
De Krans Cape Vintage Reserve 2013

Spirit
Dalla Cia Wine & Spirit Company 10 Year Old Cabernet Sauvignon-Merlot Husk Spirit
KWV 10 Year Old Vintage
KWV Nexus
Van Ryn 15 Year Fine Cask Reserve

While most critics can’t recommend South African Chenin Blanc highly enough, those who judged the category at this year’s Veritas Awards were obviously a tough bunch to please awarding a solitary double gold, this going to The Middelburg 2013 from SAAM Mountain Vineyards, an export-oriented division of Perdeberg Winery.

I found it a bit old-fashioned. Deep yellow in colour, the nose shows peach, spice, honey and plenty of leesy, even rancio character. On the palate, it’s rich and full, sweet on entry and thick in texture. It makes a big impression but it would’ve been nice if the Veritas panel had rewarded one or two more refined examples, as well.

#WinemagRating: 87/100.

Uva Mira The Single Tree 2014 – 94 points
Price: R475

Uva Mira The Mira 2014 – 93 points
Price: R190

Warwick White Lady Chardonnay 2014 – 91 points
Price: R245

The fifth annual Chardonnay Report sponsored by multinational financial services company Prescient is now out. This involved putting together a line-up of 60 of South Africa’s most high-profile examples, either currently available or soon to be released, and then subjecting them to a blind tasting.

Wines to rate 90 or higher on the 100-point quality scale were as follows:

94
Eikendal 2014
Groot Constantia 2014
KWV The Mentors 2013
Paul Cluver Estate 2014
Paul Cluver Seven Flags 2014
Richard Kershaw Elgin Clonal Selection 2014
Sumaridge 2013
Uva Mira The Single Tree 2014

93
StellenRust Barrel Fermented 2014
Uva Mira The Mira 2014

92
Evidence 2014 (Julien Schaal)
Hamilton Russell Vineyards 2014
Hartenberg 2013
Newton Johnson Southend 2014
Oak Valley Elgin 2014
Tokara Reserve Collection Stellenbosch 2014
Vergelegen Reserve 2014

91
Chamonix 2014
Iona Elgin 2014
Môreson Mercator Premium 2014
Radford Dale 2013
Vriesenhof 2014
Warwick White Lady 2014

90
Ataraxia 2013
Bartinney 2014
Buitenverwachting 2014
DeMorgenzon Reserve 2014
Mulderbosch 2014
Rustenberg Five Soldiers 2013

To read the tasting report in full, download the following: Prescient Chardonnay Report 2015

To buy tickets to a public tasting of some of the top performing wines, CLICK HERE.

To view a photo album of the awards function, CLICK HERE.

To find out more about Prescient, CLICK HERE.

The recent precipitate plummet of the Rand is arguably just another steeper-than-usual plunge in a trajectory which began in the early 1980s, and gained real momentum after the “Rubicon” speech in June 1985. Those who still have price-tagged bottles of imported wines dating from before this era of currency instability enjoy an excursion into unreality every time they look at what these collectibles used to cost: Romanee-Conti was less than R20 per bottle, Lafite about R15 and Chateau d’Yquem R12. While the hard currency prices of trophy wines have also increased dramatically, the compound effect of a currency which has gone from $1.40 to the Rand to R14 to the Dollar in 35 years has turned the purchase of international icons into a game for the mega-rich.

In the same period of time, Cape wine has changed. Once the occasional indulgence of the parochial and the patriot, it is now firmly fixed on the international pantheon: sommeliers in London, Paris, New York and Hong Kong follow the releases of the country’s new wave producers with the kind of interest which, a decade ago, would have been reserved for Antinori’s Super-Tuscans and Alvaro Palacios’s Priorats. We’re not yet up there with Lafleur and La Tache, but we’ve moved a meaningful distance up the vinous food chain. Inevitably – as the Rand plumbs new depths and our best wines scale new heights – the question is asked: is there still a place for imported wines in our domestic market? It’s not an unrealistic consideration – notwithstanding the congestion of Sandton’s roads with Aston Martins and Porsche Cayennes and the recent opening of shopping precincts like the city’s Diamond Walk with its temples of Prada and Armani. At exactly what point do the punters turn around and say “this simply doesn’t make sense.”

Given my lifelong interest in the imported wine scene, I’m not the most impartial voice when it comes to this debate. I’ve lived through the full spectrum of this transformation, having started my wine buying career when South Africa was the world’s most important destination for Bouchard’s Montrachet. When I was a university student in the 1970s, I had a part-time job as the imported wine buyer for South Africa’s largest luxury wine outlet. By about the time I turned 21 I had brought the first stocks of Chateau Petrus into South Africa and within a few years of that I was trading pallet-loads of Chambertin and Corton Charlemagne.

So do I think that imported wines are dead in the water – either because the Rand has put paid to their prospects, or because the Cape wine scene can meet all the needs of the nation’s fine wine drinkers? The short answer is “no.” I don’t see volumes declining significantly, not as long as the Rand doesn’t slip by more than 15% per year. In the past ten years – during which time our currency has halved in value against the dollar – the imported wine market has grown dramatically. The choice of fine Burgundies (indisputably the most expensive segment of the trade) has increased significantly over the period. You can buy literally hundreds more arcane collectibles now than you could at the turn of the century. High-priced cuvées from Piedmont, Northern Rhone trophy wines, prestige labels from Champagne – the super-wealthy have more to select from today than the clients for whom I was shopping in the mid-1970s.

There are also thousands of cases of inexpensive imports entering the local market. Some – like Checkers’ Wines of the World selection – serve to broaden taste expectations (and therefore the consumer base) for everyone. There’s more chance that a R100 bottle of Argentinian Malbec or Romanian Pinot Noir will create a class of adventurous wine buyers than this trade will undermine the local industry. The 10% or so that these wines will increase in price annually as the Rand continues to fall won’t suddenly make them unaffordable. And the 30% or more that top end imports might rise in price (if the Chinese or Russian oligarchs come back into this market) won’t bother those who have a Lamborghini or two in the garage of their homes in Camps Bay.

So what about our new rock star winemakers – won’t they profit at all from their own success and the decline of the Rand? The answer, of course, is “yes.” They already sell every bottle they produce, much of it locally, but increasingly also abroad. They will price their products upwards as the tolerance for excess increases and the desire of well-heeled consumers for the unobtainable enhances their brand stature.

I can’t see any of this being bad – except perhaps in the puritanical sense of the word. If we want the top end of industry to grow, we need to cultivate the cult wine segment, we need to reward craft and we need to raise the price ceiling with demand-driven strategies, rather than with marketing thumbsuck. In this the imported wine market and the falling Rand are passive allies: just by being there, they change the game.

• Michael Fridjhon has over thirty-five years’ experience in the liquor industry. He is founder of Winewizard.co.za and holds various positions including: Visiting Professor of Wine Business at the University of Cape Town; founder and director of WineX – the largest consumer wine show in the Southern Hemisphere and chairman of The Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show.

Franco Lourens, assistant to David Finlayson at Edgebaston, has his own label called Lourens Family Wines and the first release is a Carignan from older bush vines in Paarl and called Howard John after his father.

Typically high in acidity and tannins, it is nevertheless exceptionally productive and remains the most widely planted variety in souithern France. Plantings in South Africa are not extensive however, a mere 112.7ha in the ground at the end of 2014. “I’ve decided to work with varieties which are not widely known,” says Lourens.

Winemaking involved a portion of the grapes being whole-bunch fermented and fermentation occurred spontaneously, maturation lasting 12 months in old oak. Very dark in colour, the wine shows red and black fruit, spice and fynbos. It has a sweet ‘n sour character on the palate and the tannins are not too hard at all. Would it have been a better wine if the grapes had been picked a little earlier? Possibly but it’s not without charm as is. Approximate retail price: R155 a bottle.

#WinemagRating: 88/100.

The Fledge & Co. is the label belonging to Leon Coetzee and Margaux Nel (also winemaker at Calitzdorp’s Boplaas) with them sourcing grapes from across the Cape for their various wines.

HoekSteen is a Chenin Blanc from Stellenbosch bush vines planted in 1980 and 1981 and while the 2013 was appealing enough (see here), the current release sees the ante raised. With grapes varying from just ripe to those with a very light touch of botrytis, winemaking involved a bit of skin contact and then 12 months on the lees in tank.

On the nose, there’s a top note of orange blossom before citrus, peach and apricot. The palate has a sun-kissed quality about it – pure, juicy fruit and bright acidity before a gently savoury, almost salty finish. A subtle and refined offering. Price: R135 a bottle.

#WinemagRating: 90/100.

Prior to the unveiling of the 2013 vintage of Grand Reserve from Stellenbosch cellar Delheim, a tasting of the 1984, 1987, 1991, 1999, 2001, 2006 and 2007 vintages.

And it was the 1984, which stole the show. Made by Kevin Arnold, now of Waterford, the wine is a blend of 88% Cabernet Sauvignon and 12% Cabernet Franc, matured for 13 months in 225-litre French oak barrels, 100% new. Abv 12.9%, RS 1.9g/l, TA 6.3 g/l and pH 3.53.

Wonderfully complex nose – plenty of developed character as you might expect including boot polish, beef stock, mushroom and pine forest but also red fruit (cherries, currants) still in evidence. The palate meanwhile showed lovely composure and length making for an entirely delicious glass of wine!

#WinemagRating: 94/100.

The maiden vintage1981 Grande Reserve from Stellenbosch property Delheim was conceived in order to set a new standard for South African reds. Cabernet Sauvignon always dominates but small portions of the other Bordeaux varieties have been included in some vintages.

In recent times, Delheim has undergone a change of regime with winemaker Reg Holder and viticulturist Etienne Terblanche both joining in 2012 and no Grande Reserve from 2009 to 2012 was released. “We’ve been struggling with leaf roll virus,” says Terblanche.

The Cab for the 2013 comes off the Vera Cruz property closer to Klapmuts acquired in 1970s to supplement Delheim’s own plantings. Age of vineyards vary but some are well over 30 years old now. The vineyards are untrellised which is unusual for the variety but because of the more open canopies, use more water and therefore obtain moderate stress earlier in the season. Berries are also smaller giving better flavour.

How does the 2013 stack up? Entirely from Cab, Holder has extended maceration to 21 days and pushed back oak influence, the wine matured for 17 months in 300-litre barrels, 31% new.

On the nose, red and black currant plus a definite herbal, even minty character. The palate is medium bodied with luscious fruit, moderate acidity and very fine tannins. Not dark and brooding like many Stellenbosch Cabs; on the contrary, quite new wave in how fruit driven it is. Price: R285 a bottle.

#WinemagRating: 89/100.

It’s a long drive from Cape Town to get to Basie van Lill’s Skurfberg farm, Arbeidseind – but not a tedious one when Eben Sadie is there doing the driving … and a lot of the talking. It means a 6.30am start from Malmesbury, up the N7 with all its roadworks, turn-off at Clanwilliam onto gravel in the direction of the Atlantic, then soon bumping and climbing the mild peak to Arbeidseind. But each time I’m there, I think that this is perhaps my favourite wine farm of all.

From the highest vineyard (red sandy soil, gnarled chenin bushvines, with adjacent dark pines set against the sky), from which Eben takes grapes for his Skurfberg blend, are fine views in almost all directions: to distant mountains, to other vineyards of the area. It’s not the rich, imposing loveliness of, say, Rustenberg in Stellenbosch (and Basie’s modest farmhouse is a far cry from a Cape Dutch manorhouse), but it is wide and open, and with its own harsher grandeur and beauty. And the vines are marvellously cared for – Eben never fails to remark on what a good farmer Basie is.

Sadie is not the only person depriving Klaver Wine Cellars of the fruit of the old vineyards which viticulturist Rosa Kruger “discovered” nearly a decade back, when she was employed by Anthonij Rupert Wines. Rupert takes some for their Van Lill and Visser Chenin Blanc, and the Alheits have an own-roots vineyard (just down the slope from Eben’s, slightly less picturesquely sited but still giving the vines a good outlook) which produces their magnificent Magnetic North Mountain Makstok. Incidentally, while there I sent Chris Alheit a photo of “his” flourishing and recently suckered vineyard, and he replied saying he’s travelling north to see them himself next week. Winemakers like Chris and Eben cover an awful lot of kilometres to care for their vines.

These vineyards I’d seen on previous visits, but there’s also a new one which Basie and Eben have planted: a hectare of grenache noir. (The photo shows them hunkering down to discuss management of the young stock.) It’s one of a few plantings in the Cape of the first release of some excellent new grenache vine material, and Eben is clearly excited about its prospects. “Supervines” he calls these virus-free, totally clean vines.

So there they are, vigorously youthful in the red sandy soil of Arbeidseind, under the care of one of the Cape’s great wine visionaries and one of the Cape’s most meticulous, painstaking farmers. One day I hope to taste the vinified fruit: grenache expressing the Skurfberg soil and sun – and, I must believe, the view and the atmosphere. And one day other winelovers, when I’ve long since ceased visiting Arbeidseind and drinking its wines with pleasure, will see if Eben was right in thinking that old Skurfberg grenache should be as exciting as old Skurfberg chenin and semillon.

One of the most exciting aspects of the most progressive parts of Cape wine today is that it’s confidently about the future as well as the present – with the past voicing its opinion too.

• Tim James is founder of Grape.co.za and contributes to various local and international wine publications. He is a taster (and associate editor) for Platter’s. His book Wines of South Africa – Tradition and Revolution appeared in 2013.