Wine tourism is one of the most important touristic activities in South Africa for both; South Africans and visitors from abroad.
The bulk of these tourists go mainstream but a niche market with handcrafted wines is growing and that is where the more explorative ‘wine taster’ discovers real surprises.
The mainstream cellars all have their premium qualities but in relatively low quantities. For export volume they (with a few exceptions) buy ‘residues’ from small producers or co-ops. Sometimes these wines are even cheaper in the European supermarket or liquor store than at the wine cellar itself and there are also examples of wines which are even cheaper in the South African retail than at the wine cellar itself (extreme example: R 49.50 at cellar in Boland – R 19.95 in liquor store J’burg).
Nowadays there is an increase in the number of small farmers which sell the bulk of their grapes (2nd and lower grades) to co-ops and their ‘big brothers’ and keep the prime quality grapes for their own produce. These wines are not cheap (most is sold at cellar and a few top restaurants) but their quality is outstanding.
Wine tasting is a very personal activity and all depends on personal preferences. Some people swear with bulk produced wines because they drink so ‘Lekker’ and more demanding consumers consider other qualities. One beginnerstip for wine tasting: the wine can be ‘lekker’ but if you smell the wine already at the moment it’s poured in your glass it’s low quality. The flavours of the wine has to be kept in the wine itself.
For the more concious (mainly overseas) wine tasters: There are Fair Trade certified wine producers. Also a good indication of labour relations in the wine producing industry is to look to the housing of the farmworkers.
And than ‘organic wines’. It’s better to say “wine made from organically grown grapes”. Most wines of organically grown grapes have added sulphites on top of the natural content of sulphites in the grapes. Sulphites cause the hangover after a ‘Wacky Wine Tasting Weekend’. It’s always good to ask specifically about ‘added sulphites’ at such a cellar. There are also wines of ‘chemical produced’ grapes (with no of hardly any residues of fungi- and pesticides) without added sulphites. There are quite a few artices about this subject. A few related to South African wines can be found here, there and here again.
