<b>Alok Chandra:</b> South African safari

Few people know that South African wines are today the fourth-largest selling overseas wines in India after Australian, French and Italian wines

Think of South Africa and you normally get images of lions and elephants and wildlife safaris, the famous table mountain, and perhaps the more recently famous Sun City resort.

Few people know that wines have been produced there for 350 years, not long after the Dutch settled around Cape Town in 1652: wine was as integral a part of European lifestyle then as it is now, and supply ships could never get enough wines to this far-away port. Constantia Estates, the first vineyard and winery in South Africa (set up on a mere 1,900 acres), was established in 1685 and its successors live on to this day as Groot Constantia (the grand-daddy), Klein Constantia, and Constantia Uitsig.

In the early 1900s, too many new vineyards caused a crisis of oversupply, leading to the formation of the government-mandated co-operative KWV in 1918 (the full name is simply too complicated), which controlled grape prices and production of wine and brandy there till it was corporatised in 1997. South African wines have only been available worldwide since the 1990s after the lifting of international sanctions following the repeal of apartheid, but the progress they  have made in 25-short years has been quite remarkable.

Few people also know that South African wines are today the fourth-largest selling overseas wines in India, after Australian, French, and Italian wines. The charge is led by the entry-level Two Oceans, and re-inforced by brands like Nederburg, Meerlust, Wolftrap, Kumala, and Man Family. Vijay Mallya’s United Breweries was for some time importing Kingfisher Bohemia from South Africa, but that brand died a natural death: beer is sold by the truckload, while wine moves by the bottle.

More recently Analjit Singh is reported to have invested $35 million in Leeu Estates (“Leeu” is “lion” in Afrikaans, the same as “Singh” in Hindi) in the Franschoek Valley, which is just one hour by road from Cape Town. The property includes a newly-renovated spa and boutique hotel (prices start at about Rs 35,000), apart from a range of premium wines under the “Mullineux” label (no, they’re not planning to import the label into India just yet).

So what are South African wines really like?

The signature grape of South Africa is Pinotage,  a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault bred almost accidentally in 1925 in Stellenbosch — the wine produced has yet to make a mark internationally, but does provide a note of distinctiveness. The other surprise in South Africa is the emergence of Chenin Blanc as the largest-planted grape variety (accounting for 20 per cent of all plantings), with South African Chenins gaining international recognition for their quality and distinctive styles.

More important, the country has a variety of soils and climates (“terroirs”) that deliver a versatile range of wines for both discerning and budget-minded consumers, using internationally-known wine grapes. 

Wines I’ve been drinking: Thomas Webb of Thelema Mountain Vineyards was in India his week promoting awareness and trials of wines from his 30-year-old property in Stellenbosch. Its Sutherland Sauvignon Blanc 2014 was redolent of grapefruit and lime and had a balanced taste. I was impressed with its Thelema Mountain Red (Rs 2,050 in Bengaluru), a blend of six different grapes (mainly Merlot, Shiraz and Petit Verdot), made in a medium-bodied but complex style that was smooth and very drinkable, and real value-for-money.

Gesondheid (or cheers in Afrikaans)!

Alok Chandra is a Bengaluru-based wine consultant