The history of wine cultivation in South Africa is more of a saga than a story.  Even though wine grapes have been grown, and wine produced, in the country for hundreds of years, none of it ever made an international impact…until now.  The situation is due partly to political isolation and partly to a certain contrarian way of thinking, keeping the South African wine world in the Dark Ages for as long as anyone can remember.

That’s all changed.

Prospect wine country

But let’s go back a bit.  Time was, when the majority of grapes in the country’s winegrowing regions (Stellenbosch, Franschoek, and others) were sold to cooperatives – basically a large group of farmers selling fruit to a central facility that produced wine that was, at best, undistinguished.  And the majority of the wine production was under the control of a central quasi-governmental agency called KVW, which placed more importance on quantity than on quality.

Next, the government, for reasons that nobody has ever understood, prohibited the importation of foreign grape varietals, so that most growers were forced to grow what was already there, such as Pinotage and Chenin Blanc, which they call Steen.  Now, Pinotage is capable of being made into extremely drinkable wine, but mostly it wasn’t. 

Third, there was the economic isolation of the country due to apartheid.  It’s likely that only Argentina faced more political and economic challenges in the international wine market than South Africa.

But not any more.  Today, the country is producing (and, luckily, exporting) world class wines make from the prime noble varietals, like Cabernet Sauvignon, Chardonnay, Syrah, and others.  Pinotage, when it’s grown at all, is now being made into a much more distinguished drinking experience.  Famous South African names like golfer Ernie Els are in the business, and that certainly doesn’t hurt.

For a country that has only recently made a worldwide wine impact, the viticultural history is actually quite long.  It can be traced back to the Huguenots (so named because they were Not Huge) who arrived at the Cape of Good Hope around 1686-1688, fleeing the religious persecution (some things never change) decreed by the Edict of Nantes.  The city named Franschoek means “French Town” in Afrikaans.  Many were experienced farmers, with special skills in viticulture (they were French, after all) and in less than 50 years they planted over a million vines.

Normally, we’d think of South Africa as a “new world” region, but the wine styles give more than a casual nod to Old World tastes.  Many of the reds are redolent of game and earth, much like good Cotes du Rhone.  Since the major winegrowing regions are clustered in the extreme south of the country, and since they receive abundant cooling ocean breezes, the white wines (Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay) are likely to be fruit-driven with crisp acidity.  Recently, the industry has begun experimenting with Sauvignon Blanc, hoping, no doubt, to cash in on the tremendous popularity of the grape (thank you, New Zealand).

Many excellent examples of South African wine will be available for your international sampling pleasure at the Grand Tasting.  And here’s more good news:  if you’re in the mood for a wine journey to this up-and-coming region, most of the major winegrowing regions are an easy drive from Capetown.

Gesondheid!

Harvest in South Africa -- very mechanized

In previous postings, the subject matter (and my thoughts) have wandered all over the planet.  Happens a lot.  But now it’s time to regain control and consider some winegrowing areas that are, relatively speaking, right around the corner.  Good thing, too, because it means that if you’re even a slightly moderate wine geek, you can go there without a passport and reasonably expect that English will be spoken. 

My favorite road sign

Like California, f’rinstance.  The Golden State no longer corners the market winegrowingwise.  We savor the big, juicy cabs, syrahs, and pinots that come out of Oregon and Washington State, and one of my favorite Champagne-style sparklers is being made in (of all places) Albuquerque, New Mexico. 

The landmark Mondavi winery

But if you want to hunt with the big dogs, California is still the place to be, and Napa is generally where most people start.  It’s pretty much the first place you come to when driving up from San Francisco. 

Many (but not all) of the wines being served at our hosted dinners on Friday night, February 27 are sourced from the Napa and Sonoma regions.  As the crow flies, the two valleys are practically bedmates, but the differences are striking…and so are the wild winding roads that run between them. 

Is this California's most famous grocery store?

The thing we like best about the area is that anybody can make wine – anybody – and practically everybody does.  (Y’know, in LA every waiter is an actor?  In this part of the world, every waiter is a winemaker)  Our friends Stephen and Sue Parry have a lovely home on the Silverado Trail, and the property is blessed with about 2 acres of really nice Cabernet vines.  So there’s a Parry Cellars label, and the Parrys make about 250 cases a year, which they sell to very fine restaurants, close friends, and others who find their way onto the mailing list.  Lucky us.

Then there’s Rob Fanucci.  By day he’s an attorney in St. Helena, but on the weekends he morphs into this crazed Zinfandel fiend who ferments the grapes in big plastic tubs in the driveway of his grandfather’s house.  No fancy stainless steel fermentation tanks for him.  (His wine is called Charter Oak, it’s terrific, and he puts his phone number on the label).

Rob Fanucci makes wine. Debi helps.

Then there are the Tilleys — Chris and Pauline–whose big-time Cabernet will be enjoyed at one of the dinners.  Chris actually went to St. Helena High, and now he and Pauline are back in the valley again, turning out the wine of their dreams, just a few hundred cases each year. 

John Caldwell is kind of the same, only different.  Another successful entrepreneur who wanted to make a small fortune in the wine business by starting with a large one, John was able to buy large tracts of land east of the city of Napa back in the Seventies.  Of course, it’s worth umpteen times what he paid for it, but it hasn’t gone to his head.  His cabernet and syrah grapes are worth thousands of dollars a ton, so when he got tired of selling them to other wineries, he decided to start his own.

One thing led to another, and now he has a huge cave drilled into the hillside, with a complete winery, barrel storage, tasting room, everything.  His wines will also be poured at a dinner…and also at the Grand Tasting on Saturday.  Just one more darn thing to look forward to.

John Caldwell likes Debi better than me.

The date is getting closer, and the volunteers are getting crazier and more twisted by the minute.  I’m starting to feel like Hunter S. Thompson on a bad day.  But seriously, folks…this is fun, and if we can help some sick children get better, it’s more than worth it.