Wine News: South Africa Edition

some vino news from our Afrikaans-speaking friends.

1. No need to cringe when you think of South African Shiraz
2. An Italian Winemaker making wine in South Africa wins an Italian wine award.  Got it?
3. Saxenburg. Best in class (at least in London)
4. wine + biodiversity. 2 beautiful concepts
5. 4 great SA wines (at least according to the UK's Guardian)

Comments

[Jameson]

There is an import company in Seattle, A&B Imports, that bring in great South African wines. For me they combine the best of the Norhern Rhone (stinky earthiness) and Australia (mega-fruit).

A few to try:

Fairview SMV
Fairvew Caldera (both Rhone blends)
Spice Route Malabar (Bordeaux blend)

The winemaker, Charles Back, is a big believer in blending.

I also think there are some great Chenin Blancs, as long as you block out your Loire prejudices (which are extremely strong in my case).

South African wine is definitely something to be excited about and worth exploring.

[beau]

I've tried a few Fairview wines. Most recently, the Fairview Pinotage. I'll look for the Rhone blends - they sound interesting.