The Regions
In your lifetime, there is an excellent chance you’ ve had some type of fruit from Elgin Valley. It is one of those picturesque locales where everything grows. It is known for world-famous Granny Smith and Red Delicious apples, pears, fresh-cut flowers, and wonderful cool-climate grapes. Elgin specializes in Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah, with more Pinot Noir being planted every year. Its high-altitude sites produce refined and delicate flavours. Only an hour outside of Cape Town, this region is a perfect destination for fresh food lovers.
The Swartland is one of the hottest wine regions in South Africa right now. On our trip alone, we met three producers whose wines we had to bring back for Banville & Jones Wine Co. customers. The young winemaking culture of the Swartland is producing the next
Elgin Vintners Syrah is elegant with lots of zip and character( coming exclusively to Banville & Jones in August 2012).
Do we have to choose just one? Lamershoek is a new producer coming to the store, and Mullineux and A. A. Badenhorst were two of our trip favourites.
generation of South African wines( as you will read in our interview with Platter Guide’ s Philip Van Zyl on page 50). The wines come from a sun-baked area with very arid rolling hills. Blends are king here, with new styles emerging that feature Syrah, Grenache, and Mourvèdre( Rhône varietals). These exciting( and excitable!) new winemakers have also embraced one of South Africa’ s key varietals— Chenin Blanc— producing many styles worthy of making Loire winemakers jealous.
Walker Bay is situated around the beautiful coastal |
town of Hermanus, and is home to such luminaries |
as Peter Finlayson of Bouchard |
Finlayson and some of the |
most sought-after land for |
|
new plantings.
Though
Walker Bay is a rather
|
Galpin Peak |
large |
region, |
smaller |
Pinot Noir will give |
wineries like those that snake up through the Hemel-en-Aard( Heaven and Earth) Valley subregion |
you an idea of why
Bouchard Finlayson is the benchmark for South
African Pinot.
|
|
are |
known |
for |
Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, |
and |
South |
Africa’ s |
current |
darling, Sauvignon Blanc. Take the |
Hermanus Wine Route( R320) and enjoy an entire day |
tasting some of the best wines the region has to offer. |
Left: Bon Cap Organic vineyard in Walker Bay( Photo by Mike Muirhead); Right: Thelema Mountain Vineyards, Stellenbosch( Photo by Carol Fletcher) www. banvilleandjones. com 39