What is Pinotage, and is it any good?

Pinotage is a South African grape, created in 1925 at Stellenbosch University by Abraham Izak Perold, who crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsault. It earned a poor reputation from badly made examples that tasted burnt or solvent-like. Modern versions are far better, offering dark plum, smoke and sometimes a coffee-ish note. If it put you off once, it is worth trying something recent.

Why is Chenin Blanc such a big deal in South Africa?

Because there is more of it in the Cape than anywhere else on earth, including the Loire Valley where the grape originated. It arrived early, was planted widely for brandy and bulk wine under the local name Steen, and much of it simply survived. Those old, dry-farmed bush vines give tiny crops of intensely flavoured fruit, which is why Cape Chenin is now taken seriously.

What does Wine of Origin mean on a South African label?

It is the Cape's certification scheme, enforced by law since 1973. If a label states a Wine of Origin area such as Stellenbosch, Swartland or Constantia, all of the grapes must come from that demarcated area, and the claim is independently checked. The areas run from broad geographical units down through regions and districts to small wards. It guarantees honesty about origin, not a quality ranking.

What is the difference between Stellenbosch and Swartland?

Stellenbosch is the established heart of Cape wine: mountain slopes, varied soils, irrigation where needed, and a focus on Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. Swartland, further north, is hotter, drier and mostly unirrigated, farmed on granite and shale. Its old bush vines and Rhône-inspired blends made it the centre of South Africa's modern wine revival from the 2000s onwards.

South Africa Wine: Regions, Grapes & Styles

South Africa has one of the longest unbroken winemaking traditions outside Europe. Jan van Riebeeck recorded the Cape's first wine in his journal on 2 February 1659, and by the late 1700s the sweet Muscat wine of Constantia was among the most coveted bottles in Europe. Jane Austen even has Mrs Jennings, in Sense and Sensibility, press a glass of old Constantia on the heartbroken Marianne, swearing by the wine's healing powers. Then came a long dip: phylloxera, decades of cooperative bulk production, and the isolation of the sanctions years.

The revival since the 1990s has been built on looking backwards as much as forwards. Growers went hunting for the old, unirrigated bush vines that had survived in the Swartland and elsewhere, and the Old Vine Project, launched in 2016, now certifies vineyards of thirty-five years and older with a seal on the bottle. At the same time, genuinely cool coastal sites were planted for the first time. South African wine today is a country reintroducing itself, and it has done so quickly.

What South African wine tastes like

South African wine has a signature that people struggle to name, and savoury is the closest word. Even the riper wines carry a dry, earthy, faintly smoky undertone that stops them tasting soft or sweet.

Chenin Blanc is the place to start. In its simplest form it is crisp and appley. From old bush vines it becomes something else entirely: quince, honey and wet stone, with a waxy texture and a long, dry finish. Sauvignon Blanc from cool coastal Constantia is grassy and taut, and Walker Bay Chardonnay is lean and citrusy.

Among the reds, Cape Syrah is peppery and dark rather than jammy. Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon is firm and blackcurranty with a dusty grip of tannin. Pinotage, the local crossing, ranges from bright and juicy to smoky and rich, depending entirely on who made it.

Signature grapes of South Africa

Chenin Blanc is South Africa's most planted grape and its greatest asset, known locally for generations as Steen. The Cape has more of it than anywhere else on earth, including its French homeland in the Loire. Syrah is the leading fine red, usually made in a peppery, savoury style and often blended with Grenache, Mourvèdre and Cinsault in Swartland Rhône-style reds. Cabernet Sauvignon rules Stellenbosch. Sauvignon Blanc and Chardonnay handle the cool coastal sites. And Pinotage, crossed here in 1925, belongs to South Africa alone.

Wine regions of South Africa

Four Cape areas are covered here, and they are usefully different from one another. Stellenbosch, framed by mountains an hour from Cape Town, is the best known, working with Cabernet Sauvignon, Syrah, Chenin Blanc and Pinotage. Swartland, further north, is warm, dry and largely unirrigated, and its old bush vines on granite and shale drive much of the country's most interesting Chenin Blanc and Rhône-style red. Constantia, on the slopes above Cape Town itself, is the historic one, now recognised for cool, sharp Sauvignon Blanc. Walker Bay, on the south coast, is cold enough for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Three South African bottles to start with

Swartland Chenin Blanc

Made from dry-farmed bush vines, this shows what Chenin can really do: quince, honey and a waxy texture, finishing dry rather than sweet.

Stellenbosch Cabernet Sauvignon

Firm, blackcurranty and dusty with tannin, it is the Cape's most dependable serious red and a natural partner for grilled lamb or a braai.

Walker Bay Pinot Noir

From the cool Hemel-en-Aarde valley running inland from the bay, this is South Africa's most delicate red: red cherry, forest floor and fine, light tannin.

Wine of South Africa

What South African wine tastes like

Signature grapes of South Africa

Wine regions of South Africa

Constantia

Stellenbosch

Swartland

Walker Bay

Three South African bottles to start with

South African wine questions

Learn the wine in your glass