Why will South Africa be the “next hot country” for wine? There are only a few large companies doing business there and most of the best wines come from farmers who own the vineyards and make the wine. My first stop after getting off the plane in Cape Town was to the new Arabella Sheraton Hotel connected to the convention center. There I met Jabulani Ntshangase who has opened Grand World of Wines in the hotel lobby. He came to America over 25 years ago to learn the wine and liquor business from my brother Michael. He returned to South Africa to train black South Africans in the wine & spirit trade. He has over 20 of his pupils working in the industry and is about to open another shop in Stellenbosch. In addition, he exports a wonderful brand called Thabani. “Madame Bordeaux” otherwise known as May Eliane de Lencquesaing, the owner of Chateau Pichon Comtesse de Lalande, has purchased Glenelly farm in Stellenbosch in 2003 and planted Bordeaux red varieties with the focus on Merlot and Cabernet Sauvignon. She has been visiting the Cape since 1986 and liked that story of the French Huguenots coming here 300 years ago. “Maybe this can be a kind of pilgrimage for the French, a return to the beginning.” The South African golfer Ernie Els has opened a winery in 2004 under his name and has been promoting his wine at every tournament he has entered.
I visited or tasted wines with a dozen of the top South African wineries and winemakers. I asked Wines of South Africa through their US marketing arm and their headquarters in Stellenbosch to set up my program. I only asked that all the wineries are imported into the USA and that I visit and taste with small, medium and large producers. The first night I was dropped off at Ken Forrester’s winery where he had assembled representatives from Meinert Wines, The Winery, Raats Family Wines and Kleine Zalze (the only winery not yet in the USA). Our discussion centered on Chenin Blanc and I was chastised for referring to it as Steen. These producers believe the grape has a great future when properly made. The Winery has the first dual-continent winemaking arrangement with their Riesling being produced in Australia and their Chardonnay in South Africa. The Raats Family Winery was named one of the best new wineries by Food & Wine Magazine. Kleine Zalze has the Terroir Restaurant voted one of the top 10 in the country, plus resident lodges on their golf course.
I began my second day at Cape Legends/Plaisir de Merle, one of 11 wineries owned and marketed by the Distell Corporation which resulted from the merger of the Stellenbosch Farmers Winery and Distillers Corporation. Here again the concept of full use of the land results in the building of five private residences on the grounds. Waterford Estate Shiraz was served at Oprah Winfrey’s 50th birthday party. When I visited Warwick Wine Estate I learned that the Wine Spectator had named their Three Cape Ladies the #71 wine of the year for 2005. Wine & Spirits Magazine named Warwick one of the top 100 wineries of the year for 2005. If that wasn’t enough Vilafonte (Mike Radcliffe has an ownership role in both) has a joint venture with the well known American winemaker Zelma Long. I was in South Africa at harvest time (mid February) so I was lucky to get a few minutes with Adi Badenhorst, the winemaker at Rustenberg Cellars on the most beautiful wine estates I visited. There were fruit trees, dairy cattle, a community center, housing and a school for the workers and best of all a barbeque dinner at Adi’s home.
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