Wines of South Africa: Pre-Session Tips

South Africa's quality growing regions are clustered around Cape Town in what is known as the Coastal Region.  The best Coastal Region subdistricts are Stellenbosch, Paarl, and Constantia.

 The Coastal Region is one of the most beautiful wine regions / places in the world.  

Wine club fieldtrip anyone?  The above photos are from the iconic Buitenverwachting winery in Constantia.

 
GRAPES
South Africa grows all of the major varietals well (esp. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Cabernet), but Pinotage is the poster child of South Africa [like Shiraz is to Australia and Zinfandel is to California.]  

PINOTAGE is a cross between two French grapes: Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (San-SEW)
It is a medium- to full-bodied red wine, with a spicy, gamy character.
It does not age particularly well, so look for a recent vintage (2007+)


WINE BUYING TIPS

• a few terms you may need help translating from Afrikaans:
• Hermitage: "Cinsaut" aka "Cinsault"
• cultivar: "varietal" or grape
• Stein: a semi-sweet style of wine that is normally Chenin-based
• semi-soet: "semi-sweet"
• South Africa's appellations (DOCs in Italy, AOC's in France, DOs in Spain) are called Wine of Origin districts (WO.)
• get familiar with your favorite wine importers.  when you find an international wine you like, check the back label for the importer and seek out another of their selections.  the best import companies are very discriminating and take great pride in their selections.  here are two of the best importers of South Africa: Cape Classics and Cape Ventures.