Daniel Grigg: Birthday bottles and blind tastings

Despite working in the wine industry since 2009, my passion for South Africa, not just the wines, but the place, and the people as well, didn’t ignite until my first visit in 2016. Since then, I’ve been back ten times, averaging once a year, despite the pandemic preventing travel during 2020 and 2021.

My earliest encounter with South African wine was at an independent shop in Hampshire village Hartley Witney, part of a small group of stores bought by local producer Wickham Vineyards when off-licence chain Thresher’s went bust. During that time, I learned that there was an English sparkling wine being made which was in higher demand than the dusty bottles of Wickham on our shelves. I knew because a man came in and bellowed “Nyetimber!” at me. Not once, not twice, but thrice, with no context or explanation and after he’d left with just as much bluster as he’d arrived, I had to look it up. Another man taught me there was a thing called Sauternes and that it was what then-Prince Charles liked drinking.

Our sole South African wine was a red blend called Miss Molly In My Bed. I liked it, though I didn’t encounter it again until working for Museum Wines, who became the UK importer for Môreson, makers of that very wine, after my first South African visit…

Between leaving the shop with no name and starting at Museum Wines I worked at both Spirited Wines and Majestic where exposure to South African wine was limited and what I did encounter did not represent the diversity of winemaking present within the country. This was especially true at Majestic where I found the offering to be mostly comprised of uninspiring Chenin Blancs and over-oaked Chardonnays whilst reds were disconcertingly homogenous with a smoky, earthy character regardless of variety or blend.

This was largely a reflection of what Majestic stocked rather than what was being produced – at the time Eben Sadie, Adi Badenhorst and co. were busy redefining the Swartland, while Duncan Savage, having debuted his own label in 2011, was on the verge of departing Cape Point Vineyards to go independent. Exploring beyond the range required time and money that Majestic employment didn’t provide. Even now, what’s on offer is somewhat pedestrian and not a true reflection of how exciting South African wine is.

Such is my fascination with the Cape that for the past 11 years I’ve dedicated my career to championing its wines. It’s bled into my personal life too: South African wines at home, at my wedding, and friendships stretching 6,000 miles via WhatsApp – sometimes about wine, sometimes not.

A by-product of this obsession: a collection of bottles with age, perfect for sharing with like-minded enthusiasts. My 40th birthday in February was a great excuse to open twelve of them with friends, including regular Winemag.co.za columnist Greg Sherwood MW.

Almost exactly 24 hours after the annual Judgement of Wimbledon blind Grenache tasting at 67 Pall Mall, we convened. None of the bottles were purchased for the occasion – they had all been picked up over the past decade. While one showed exaggerated maturation, the rest shone, illustrating what many already know: South African wines have exceptional longevity in the New World, with most still in their early drinking window and potential to improve further.

The wines were all from 2016 or earlier, mostly 2015, and rated using a 100-point system. The top six:

1. Longridge Ekliptika 2015
2. Longridge Misterie Merlot 2015
3. Kanonkop Paul Sauer 2014
4. Môreson Mata Mata Cabernet Sauvignon 2015
5. Stark-Condé Three Pines Syrah 2016
6. Uva Mira The Mira Cabernet Sauvignon 2015

Blind tastings aren’t perfect. Some wines fell outside the top six because they were young, tight, or reticent. Until you open a bottle, you never know what’s inside.

However, the tasting underlined that ageing potential isn’t limited to expensive, high-profile wines. Môreson’s Mata Mata Cabernet, fourth on the list, retailed under £20 and is no longer made. Meanwhile, the Longridge wines topping the list retail at £75 and £245, with current vintages going for £55 and £150.

The fruit for Mata Mata (and its premium sibling, Magia) was sourced by winemaker Clayton Reabow from a single vineyard in Franschhoek. Production ceased when the farm shifted focus to Cap Classique and the Miss Molly range – the very brand that served as my “first love” in that Hampshire wine shop nearly twenty years ago.

On this day, my highlight wasn’t the highest-scoring wine, but this bottle from a producer I’ve known my entire career and a winemaker who has become a dear friend. It was the most modestly priced wine of the bunch, yet it was unexpectedly brilliant. I couldn’t have wished for a better birthday gift – though I do wish it hadn’t been my last bottle.

• Daniel Grigg has been a wine enthusiast since 18 and a wine professional since 23. While his peers were drinking brightly coloured Bacardi Breezers, he was discovering his palate — liking Syrah but not anything from Chile. He cut his teeth in independent retail, first at a former Threshers site with no sign or name, then at a former Nicolas store where all communications came by fax… in French. He has since been instrumental in establishing Museum Wines as one of the UK’s leading South African specialists, guiding them to Best Retailer for South Africa three years running in Decanter, and twice in the IWC.