handtomouth

On the weekend, a snapshot of the recent ages of South African wine from the early 1990s through to the current vintages. The change in style is so stark – from lean and European in nature to big and bold – that you can easily call it a revolution in form.

Neil Ellis Cabernet Sauvignon 1990 is a textbook claret, medium in body, with enough fresh acidity to give it a slightly tangy edge. 12 percent alcohol, and after 16 years, still lively, if lacking the body in the palate that we are now accustomed to. Amazingly, this wine could still develop in the cellar.

At the end of that decade, a Chateau Libertas 1999 is also light in construction, with lots of berry fruits and even some appealing earthy notes. But on the other end of the (assumed) quality and price spectrum, De Trafford Keermont Cabernet Sauvignon 2000 clocks in at nearly 15 percent alcohol and is jam-packed with dark flavours and rich in body, a far heavier drink. Its density shouts “seriousness”.

Followed by a 2003 Bilton Shiraz at 15 percent with a similarly rich and powerful construction and you realise that the Chateau Lib is a decoy – the spirit of the times has quite clearly moved away from lithe wines to wines with obvious and sometimes ponderous presence.

The matter of which style you prefer is important, but in many respects also academic – since if you happen to like your reds in a more supple style you’re increasingly hard pressed to find one that fits this bill. Wineries have largely abandoned the elegant wine in a flight away from perceived unripeness in grapes, and in my opinion this flight has usually overshot the mark.

The other interesting point in this regard is the complete revolution in most wineries’ signatures. Perhaps you used to enjoy the house style of, say, a Neil Ellis Cabernet, but his has certainly shifted, as most have – enough to have completely reformed the house style.

A related question is whether our palates have shifted in concert with this stylistic change. It’s likely they have, simply because we don’t really have a choice in the matter, due to the global producer shift towards the fuller, richer style of wine.

But the evidence of another age lingers in cellars. Open one of these older wines and try it next to the new generation. Just make sure you try the older wine first and give it a chance to make an impression – for after a bold new age bottle, the older will seem like a car without power steering, leather seats or aircon.