handtomouth

Unexpectedly called to tasting duties on the family farm yesterday: all morning on chenin blancs and all afternoon on shiraz.

Chenin is, in my opinion, South Africa’s great white hope – if we manage its image successfully. It is versatile and delicious with its array of delicious fruit flavours, the only problem with its perception is that it is unknown for many, while others think it makes only cheap wine. On top of this, it comes in various guises, from sweet to dry and the punter is not always sure what he or she will get.

Aside from small plantings in the Loire, we have the world’s monopoly on the grape, and at this year’s big chenin tasting in France (Le Rendez-vous de Fontevraud) we really cleaned up in most categories, especially the dry and off-dry styles.

Of the 15 local and international wines we tasted yesterday, there were few duds. When wine-makers manage to curb the over-ripe melon flavours and keep the freshness of the variety’s natural acids, the results are also age-worthy as a 2001 Beaumont Chenin proved. It had only become richer and more complex, still with a zing. Other lovelies included De Trafford 2006, Chateau de Fesles “La Chapelle” 2002, and Jean Daneel Signature 2005.

On to the afternoon’s shiraz tasting. What can I say? Again, I am seriously underwhelmed by SA shiraz. Over-ripe, simple fruit and walls of oak. This is not the saviour it was hyped to be. Maybe once we have older vines and once makers blend with a few other grapes like mourvedre we will begin to see some elegance and length, not just power and ham-fistedness. We tasted 12 locals, and only a minority of these were wines as opposed to show-ponies. Columella, Luddite, Beaumont (with my declared interests) are on the right track.