Harvests in South Africa

I first visited South Africa back in 1997 as a tourist and the country just blew me away. I was really impressed with the landscape, wildlife and most of all the friendliness of the people. It was also the first time I did tasting at cellar doors – at that time I was only an average wine consumer who didn't know much about wine. And it was this visit to a wine country that made me truly fall in love with wine. With my 12th visits back to the country just round the corner, the Cape Winelands never fail to amaze me.

This was my third time taking part in harvest in South Africa and I’m lucky enough to have worked at two wineries; Villiera Wines in Stellenbosch and Paul Cluver in Elgin, both family-owned estates.

MCC at Villiera

Villiera, in the Bottelary Hills sub-region of Stellenbosch, is one of the biggest players in MCC, Methodé Cap Classique, accounting for some 50% of its production. MCC is South African answer to Champagne, a sparkling wine where second fermentation must take place in bottle and that the wine must be aged on lees for at least 12 months. Any grape varieties are allowed but most MCCs are made from Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. The Cap Classique Producers Association (CCPA) was established in 1992 by 12 like-minded producers who share the passions for bottle-fermented sparkling wine and are committed to promote South Africa’s premium MCC to the world. Today, MCC is widely recognised and smaller wineries are adding MCC to their portfolios. Now CCPA has over 100 members.

I spent four weeks at Villiera for MCC harvest and learnt a lot from the team led by Jeff Grier. Picking the grapes at the right time is obviously the key factor for making quality wine but it is even more so for sparkling wine in a warmer climate to pick the grapes just ripen in order to retain the acidity. Grapes are then pressed whole bunch at low pressure up to around 0.8 bar to avoid phenolic extraction (pressure in a bottle of champagne is around 5-6 bar). All MCCs at Villiera undergo full malo-lactic fermentation (MLF) partly to soften the acid but also to ensure only minimum sulphur dosage is required. Wine from cool climate region (Champagne, England) is naturally low in pH that deters bacteria growth, but not in the warmer Stellenbosch. With no or partial MLF, a much higher sulphur dosage is needed to prevent spoilage.

The winery has a capacity of 2,000 tons. However, being big doesn’t mean lack of innovation or experimentation. Villiera produces the first low alcohol MCC with 9.6% alcohol called Starlight Brut NV with 12 months on lees. Its Brut Natural vintage MCC, a Blanc de Blanc (100% Chardonnay) with natural fermentation and no additives, spends 3 years on lees to develop a creamy, yeasty aromas with a savoury palate. The grapes come from the best parcel on the farm and only tête de cuvée, the finer quality juice from the first pressing, is used for the wine. This year, winemaker Alexander experimented with fermenting a portion of the base wine in amphorae and old barrels for more elegance and better terroir expression. It will be very interesting to taste these wines, from the same juice and fermented the same way but in different vessels. He will fine tune the proportion of wine fermented in these vessels and perhaps include concrete egg for fermentation in future.

Apart from wine, what makes Villiera stand out is their commitment to sustainability, both for the environment and people. The estate installed solar power back in 2010, the largest in South Africa at the time, and feed back surplus to the grid. The country has been in drought for three years and Simon, the viticulturist cousin, is looking for ways to minimise water lost in the dams through evaporation. The family, in conjunction with two neighbours, set aside 220ha of land for indigenous plants and turn it into a wildlife sanctuary. They are planting 100,000 indigenous trees in order to become carbon neutral. To help future generations, Villiera provides space and buildings on site for the Pebbles Project, a charity organisation that runs over 100 mobile farm schools for children living on farms. I was talking to the cellar team and the staff is grateful that the company sponsor them for various training courses. All these initiatives are reflected on the back labels of the wine. Check them out.

Good news is that the full range of Villiera wine is available in Hong Kong. Contact wine’n’things for more details.

Cool climate wine at Paul Cluver 

Paul Cluver family owns De Rust Estate in Elgin since 1896. In 1989, the farm became the first farm to plant commercial vineyards and supplied cool climate grape varieties to Nederburg. Subsequently, the family built its own cellar and produced wine under its own label, Paul Cluver Wines, in 1998. At that time, popular red grape varieties such as Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz were the norm. Following the advice of the late Paul Pontallier after his visit to the farm, the family switched the focus to Burgundian varieties. Thanks to Paul Cluver, Elgin today is recognised as one of two South African cool climate regions for excellent Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

However, instead of blindly following Burgundy, Paul Cluver, the fifth generation and managing director, realised that Elgin is not Burgundy: Elgin’s soil is shallow while Burgundy’s is deep; Elgin rains for four months in winer and spring whereas Burgundy rains every two weeks in summer. Vines are therefore irrigated but they also work to improve the soil structure with optimum microbial activities so vines can be more resilient to climate adversity.

Andries Burger, cellar master and brother-in-law of Paul, experimented with different winemaking techniques to make wine that reflects South Africa and Elgin. The results? Paul Cluver produces Pinot Noir that expresses the purity of fruit supported by a poised structure, multi-dimensional Chardonnay, and an elegant Sauvignon Blanc with creamy mouthfeel and mineral finish. The soon to be released 2017 Riesling is delicate with fresh citrus and floral notes.

Andries is very strict with what goes into the fermentation tanks. At the first day of harvest, he personally explained, with photographs, to the 20-persons sorting team what must be removed from the sorting table. He believes the extra attention paid in sorting is responsible for the last 5% of quality increase in wine, pushing up the wine from good to very good. Not every winemaker may agree but this is his philosophy.  Only winemakers with strong beliefs can make wine with personalities and identities, and I fully respect that.

In addition to wine, the family also produces an apple cider, Cluver & Jack, with another winemaker Bruce Jack. This hand-crafted cider is made with freshly pressed apple juice from apples grown in De Rust Farm using the methodology of Jack family. It is refreshing but with the complexity that high volume ciders made with apple concentrate lack.

Paul Cluver’s website described the family correctly as a close-knit group with a visionary, pioneering spirit. What they didn’t say is that the family is also caring. The great-grandmother started a school in the farm that eventually became independent schools with vocational training in the community. More recently, The Hope@PaulCluver Amphitheatre was initiated where funds raised from the live performances at the farm’s amphitheatre were donated to improve lives in the community. In terms of environment, 50% of its 1,000ha estate is set aside for conservation and forms part of the Kogelberg Biosphere Reserve. Last but not least, Andries and Anné the winemaker make sure us, interns, enjoy and learn during our brief stay on the farm.

Paul Cluver does not have an importer in Hong Kong yet but some of his wines are available at Marks & Spencer.

After thoughts
South African wine industry is generous. Social responsibility is at the hearts of most wine estates. Villiera and Paul Cluver are just two leading examples. In fact, the Cape winelands are pretty much involved in the Pebbles Project, a non-profit organisation that supports children and their families in farming communities by providing schools, child care, training and healthcare, The latest Hemel-en-Aarde Education Project, started in early 2017, supports nearly 100 children from the valley. The annual Cape Wine Auction in February raised a whopping 17million rand (around HKD11million) for Pebble Projects. Another industry group, The Cape Winemakers Guild, runs a Development Trust and various programmes to support social development through further education in the industry.

Their winemakers are not stingy in sharing. I had more than a few mind stimulating discussions with them, ranging from technical and science to soil and winemaking philosophy. One simple question could often end up in a 15 minutes exchange. Andries Burger, cellar master of Paul Cluver, loves to draw benzene rings to explain chemical reaction. Nathan, winemaker at Villiera, had thought-provoking questions on the differences between fortified wine from Portugal and South Africa, and sparkling wine from England and South Africa.

Harvest in South Africa is also sociable. Weekly wine hour, pre-harvest party, intern night, evening braai ...  Winemakers, interns and friends of various nationalities share jokes and experiences over glasses of wine. I miss the country and the people already!

Interview with Boschendal’s lady winemaker

Lizelle Gerber, the white winemaker of Boschendal, joined the wine industry quite accidentally. She was in the military while visiting a friend at Elsenburg College, an agricultural college in Stellenbosch with a fully operational winery. Knowing that she likes outdoor and practical training, she signed up for the winemaking course even though she grew up in a family where drinking wine was not the norm. She considered it a challenge and she likes challenges.

Lizelle never looked back. Her winemaking career started at Zevenwacht Estate (South Africa), a harvest in Alsace (France) and followed by a few years at Avontuur (South Africa) where her wines won numerous awards. She eventually joined Boschendal, one of the original wine farms in Franschhoek, South Africa and the most premium DGB’s brand, in 2006. She is responsible for its Méthode Cap Classique (MCC, sparkling wine made in traditional method), all white wines and the entire Elgin series. The Elgin Pinot Noir is the only red wine she made in Boschendal.

MCC is something that is dear to Lizelle, probably because two of her sparkling wines she made during the first vintage at Boschendal were highly recognised. The Grand Cuvée Brut 2007, a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay that has spent 36 months on lees, won a double gold at Veritas Awards 2011, while Jean Le Long 2007, a blanc de blanc with 60 months on lees, was awarded a silver medal in Veritas Awards 2013. Lizelle is particularly proud of the latter. The Chardonnay grapes were selected from old vines from the cooler sites and only 500 litres of juice was extracted from one ton of grapes. Supported by crisp acidity, the wine has an array of aromas from citrus and dry lemon peel to biscotti that intermingles with the fine bubbles.

Lizelle also showed us her latest wine, Rachel’s Chenin Blanc 2015, that was just off the bottling line a few weeks ago. Chenin Blanc, although originated from Loire, has the most planting in South Africa. It is diverse and the style can range from fruity and easy drinking to oaked aged with ageing potential. Rachel belongs to the fruitier style but with a twist. 10% of the wine was fermented in old oak barrels to add a bit of texture and give a round mouthfeel. It paired beautifully with the scallop tartar but also stood up to the panfried foie gras that we had for dinner, demonstrating the versatility of the variety.




The Elgin series is Lizelle’s baby. She developed it back in 2008 with the aim of
producing a portfolio of super premium appellation specific wines from single vineyard sites that expresses the Elgin’s cool viticultural climate. It took her five years to bottle the first wine in 2013. Of the three wines from the series, Lizelle found the Sauvignon Blanc the most challenging and satisfying - to rein in the pungent aroma and prolong the ageability. She certainly overcome the challenge as the first vintage (2012) was awarded the gold medal at The Michelangelo International Wine Awards 2013.

How about female winemakers in a male dominated world? Lizelle said when she was at Elsenburg, there were only two female students in a group of 12. Women have had to work three to four times harder to prove themselves. She witnessed the acceptance of female winemakers over the past 15 years and now they are just viewed as fellow colleagues, without any gender issue. At Elsenburg today, the male and female students split is about half.

Given her passion for MCC, Lizelle urged wine lovers to give it a try. Most of them are better than the entry level champagne but at less than half the price. The more serious ones, like the Jean Le Long, can certainly rival the prestige bubbly. She also insisted that we should not just call the wine South African sparkling, the official name is Cap Classique!

She also remarked on Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault created in South African that has a love-hate relationship with both winemakers and consumers. It is true that the earlier Pinotage was a hit and miss but with better understanding of the grape variety and improvement in winemaking technique, Pinotage proved to be a versatile variety which can be made into various style of wine from easy drinking to one with longevity.

Established in 1685, this year is the 330th anniversary of Boschendal Estate, the second oldest estate in South African and only two months younger than its bigger brother Groot Constantia. Celebrate its birthday with a glass of Lizelle’s Cap Classique, or even better, pay a visit to its historical manor house in Franschhoek!

Boschendal is available from Royal Oak.

New Kids on the Block

Another opportunity to taste South African wine, this time a masterclass at IFT Macau (Macau Institute of Tourism Studies) led by Richard Kershaw MW, an Englishman who is now making his own wine in Elgin, South Africa.

Richard called this masterclass 'South Africa New Kids on the Block' because the winemakers are based not in the classic wine regions of Stellenbosch or Franschhoek but in cutting edge areas such as the cool Elgin and Hemel-en-Aarde and the Mediterranean Swartland. Moreover, these winemakers don’t own vineyards and some not even wineries (they share wineries). They work with growers and source grapes from the best, mostly smaller and older, plots. These winemakers are also small scale operators, only make a few wines, most of them only two. Richard summed it up by saying that not owning land or wineries lowers the barrier of entry and therefore presents an opportunity for new winemakers to make something unique. These new kids, most in their mid 30s, focus on offering the best wines made from the best grapes.

The wines were divided into three flights. The first was white blends. Richard explained that a wine called a white blend tends to be lower quality, easy drinking and mostly box wine, but these winemakers try to make a point that white blends can in fact be decent. The blends are not Bordeaux SSB (Semillon-Sauvignon Blanc) but from a myriad of grapes with no dominant variety. While some are field blends form old vines, other winemakers source grapes from five or more vineyards to make a few barrels of wine.

Courtesy of David Wong

David Aristargos 2013: Only six barrels were made. This is a blend of Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Rousanne and Clairette sourced from seven vineyards. The wine is fresh, laden with fruit purity and has a concentrated mid-palate adding complexity. Winemaker David Sadie (no relation to Eben Sadie) is a member of the Swartland Independent and one of my favourite winemakers. He started with only 713 bottles of Aristargos in 2010 and now makes four wines of about 4,000 bottles. Available from Vincisive.

Rall White 2013: A Chenin Blanc, Verdelho, Chardonnay and Viognier blend. Chenin’s refreshing acidity gives the wine the backbone and minerality to support the floral notes and spices of the other varieties. Donovan Rall is another member of the Swartland Independent but some of the grapes of this wine were actually sourced from Stellenbosch. He makes only two wines (a white and a red), each only a few barrels.

Thorne and Daughters Rocking Horse Cape Wine Blend 2013: A blend of Rousanne, Chardonnay, Semillon and Chenin Blanc, this is another complex wine with a herb garden spicy aroma and a creamy palate. The wine takes its name from the rocking horse that John and Tasha Seccombe made for their eldest daughters using old oak barrel staves. John studied winemaking at Plumpton in the UK (where I also received my winemaking training) so I’m particularly proud of him. And yes, you guessed right, only 3-4 barrels were made.

The second flight was Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, and again we tasted three wines:

Kershaw Elgin Chardonnay Clonal Selection 2012: From the coolest region of Elgin in South Africa, this wine is restrained and elegant and the oak fermentation and ageing (40% new oak) adds complexity. Richard is very precise and aims to create clonally selected, site-specific, cool climate wine from noble grapes. This Chardonnay is made from Clones CY97, CY95 and CY76. You will be able to buy it from Vincisive soon.

Alheit Cartology 2013: 88% Chenin Blanc sourced from four vineyards and blended with12% Semillon from old vines, this is a fine wine with good concentration and ageing potential. Owners Chris and Suzaan Alheit work with Rosa Kruger, a highly respected viticulturist in South Africa who is a pioneer in discovering forgotten old plots. This wine, Cartology, meaning the study of maps, is a tribute to Rosa’s work. The good news is that the wine will be soon be available in Hong Kong from Vincisive.

Testalonga El Bandito 2013: Love it or hate it, this is made from 100% Chenin Blanc with prolonged skin contact (I mean weeks!). It is two shades deeper in colour, structured with a bit of tannin, nutty yet floral and fresh, reminding me of Georgian qvevri wine. Someone in the audience said "cider" which was certainly not wrong. Testalonga is the own label of Craig Hawkins, winemaker at Lammershoek in Swartland.

The last flight was Pinot Noir and Syrah from the cool regions next to the Atlantic coast.

JH Meyer Signature Pinot Noir 2013: A charming, fruit driven wine with a good balance. Winemaker Johan only makes two wines, about 1,000 bottles each.

Crystallum Cuvee Cinema Pinot Noir 2012: Red fruits, hint of floral and spices, certainly a wine with depth and ageing potential. The father of this team of brothers, Peter Finlayson who put Walker Bay Pinot Noir on the world wine map, would be proud of sons Andrew and Peter-Allan.

Kershaw Elgin Syrah Clonal Selection 2012: Another precise, clonally selected wine from Richard using Clones SH9c and SH22. A subtle wine with black fruits, white pepper, spices and a hint of vanilla from the 50% new French oak. Soon available from Vincisive.

These wines are all good quality. But what I really like and appreciate is the commitment of the winemakers (often supported by their wives). They are not making crowd-pleasing wines but rather wines that respect and reflect their origins. These 'kids' are pursuing their dreams and making wines with their hearts, and we should applaud them.

Celebrating the Rainbow Nation of Wine

April was a busy month for South African wine in Hong Kong. To celebrate the country’s Freedom Day on 27th April, the South African Cosulate-General and Wines of South Africa lent their full support to various organisations in Hong Kong, including the South China Morning Post (SCMP) and the Hong Kong Jockey Club (HKJC), hosting a series of South African wine activities.

The SCMP South African wine evening saw 15 of Hong Kong’s South African wine distributors present over 130 wines from 36 wineries. Wines included both internationally acclaimed brands and less well known boutique names. Most were rated Platter’s 4 stars or above (for those who are not familiar with South African wine, Platter’s is the most comprehensive and authoritative annual South African wine guide. 5 stars is the maximum Platter’s rating). The HKJC, on the other hand, selected 10 South African wines of different styles, half available from Hong Kong and the rest directly from South Africa, to be served at its five venues, including country club, clubhouses and racecourses.

Being a fan of South African wine, I went to most of these events and talked to guests and consumers. I found that about half had never tried South African wine. Some didn’t even realise that South Africa was a wine producing country. But they were all curious and were generally positive about the wines after trying them. In fact, the country itself drew a lot of interest and we ended up having lively discussions on South African themes, from landscape and nature to culture and people. It seems that South Africa is, rightly, on the ‘countries to be visited’ list of quite a number of people.

Some people, though— and this includes people in the trade and even some South African winemakers—wrongly and unfairly dismiss South African wine for various reasons, one of which is Pinotage,. Pinotage is a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and is a unique South African variety. It is true that early Pinotage was often green and bitter, but with improved winemaking techniques and better understanding of the variety, today’s Pinotages should be a pride of of the South African wine industry. Its easy drinking style with moderate tannin appeals to inexperienced consumers. A few enthusiastic drinkers were comparing Pinotages from different wineries at the SCMP evening and happily declared that they liked the variety. Those who like rich wine were equally impressed by the more serious style of Pinotage that shows depth and ageing capability. The Rijk’s Pinotage Reserve 2008 at the HKJC was one of the most popular wines among Bordeaux drinkers.

Chenin Blanc is another variety that attracted attention. It has crisp acidity and can be made into different styles from sparkling and refreshing summer white wine to complex barrel fermented food-friendly wine and sweet wine. The Ken Forester Reserve Chenin Blanc (available from Kerry Wines) and Bellingham Old Vine Chenin Blanc (available from Northeast) were particular popular at the SCMP evening. Chenin Blanc is in fact a Loire variety although not many consumers are aware of this thanks to the ‘non-disclosure’ of grape varieties on most French labels, but it is in South Africa where the variety shows its true self. 1/5 of the vineyard planting in South Africa in Chenin Blanc, far more than what it is planted in Loire.

South Africa is also reputed for its international varieties: Pinot Noir and Sauvignon Blanc from the cooler regions of Elgin and Hermanus, full bodied Chardonnay and Bordeaux blends from Stellenbosch, Syrah and Rhone style wines particularly from Swartland. Its wine is as diverse as its landscape and culture. The wines showcased in the SCMP and HKJC events truly did impress some of the most discerning drinkers.

Hong Kong wine lovers deserve to taste more South African wine.

South Africa Freedom Day commemorates the country’s first democratic post-Apartheid elections in 1994. It unites South Africans of all colours and backgrounds to celebrate democracy and freedom. Next year will be its 20th anniversary. It would be a perfect moment to introduce more of these wonderfully diverse wines to Hong Kong wine lovers. We are all looking forward to celebrating the Rainbow Nation and its wine.