The SOMM Journal

August/September 2014

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112 { THE SOMM JOURNAL } AUGUST/SEPTEMBER 2014 { discoveries } minerality and saltiness, plus plenty of texture and length. "Sadie's Palladius [nine-grape white blend] is always a stunner; Three Foxes has a Clairette and the texture and salinity are amazing; and the Silwervis Chenin is fruity, savory and minerally all at once," says Christy Frank of Frankly Wines, New York City. Reds, mainly Syrah with support from Mourvèdre, Grenache, Carignan and Cinsault, are spicy and often quite perfumed. These are hearty wines with grip, finesse and depth at the inter - section of Burgundy, Rhône and Piedmont. "Meaty, peppery, opaque. Fruit is the fifth or sixth descriptor. Gorgeous multi-dimension - ality. That's their mission," says Robert Jones, MS, of the Mullineux 2009 Syrah. "You can't make quaffers here," says Sadie. "The fruit is too concentrated, the vines are too old." Over Table Mountain, Under the Radar Poll a sommelier or retailer, and their response confirms Swartland's just-under-the-radar-yet-ripe-to-explode status. "As eaters, we're looking for experiences. Wines like these are a unique expression of place, palate and passion," says Kim Wood, Director of Wine, ARIA Resort & Casino, Las Vegas. Nevertheless, in a region where labels feature words like Ouwingerdreeks (old vines), Allesverloren (all is lost) and Lammershoek (lamb's corner), it doesn't matter how easily wines go down in the stoep (shaded veranda) if enophiles are too timid to order bottles they can't pronounce. Somms must also overcome language barriers and outmoded cultural preconceptions—consumers' as well as their own. "A lot of people think of South Africa as New World rip- offs of classically Old World grapes or commercial styles that I think is very stuck in the '90s," says Mike Hoagland, Director of Operations at L.A.'s Orsa and Winston. "Guests hear 'South Africa' and their immediate response is 'So this is Pinotage?' They don't quite realize the level of diversity there," says Elizabeth Huettinger, Wine Director for Addison Restaurant in San Diego. "On #Sommchat, they asked a newly-passed MS if there was one region he wouldn't feature on his list. He responded, 'South Africa.' I almost burst into a tirade since just the week before I had enjoyed a bottle of The Sadie Family's Tinta Barocca. The wine was so delicious!" says Maurice DiMarino, CS, of San Diego's Cohn Restaurant Group. Amy Mitchell, Sommelier at Veritas Restaurant in New York, says it simply, "It will be difficult for wine lovers to ignore Swartland." Billionaire's Sangria "In other places, producers fight for property first and appella- tion second. Here," admitted Sadie, "our wines are Swartland first and South Africa second. It doesn't matter which wines you try first, they're all representative. The DNA is the same." Two weeks after Mississippi, I met Badenhorst again. We pulled corks in Palm Desert, California for three days of billionaire Sean Parker's private Coachella parties. Between the salty tapas and thirsty celebrities like Lindsay Lohan and Lizzy Jagger, we ran out of quaffing wines by the time paella was served. The never high-falutin Badenhorst used his spicy-ripe 2007 Secateurs Red Blend to make the most delicious sangria I've ever tasted. "Only way to make a decent sangria," Adi says with that Swartland- sized smile. He took a swig straight from the bottle, cowboy style: "Perfection." Of course, it's in his DNA. 500 500 500 500 1000 500 1000 4000 2000 3000 500 1000 2000 3000 500 500 1000 1000 2000 AA Badenhorst Family/Secateurs Sadie Family Babylon's Peak Spice Route Riebeek Cellars Lammershoek Annex Kloof Swartland Winery Mullineux/ Three Foxes N1 N7 N7 R44 R45 R45 R45 R315 R27 R44 R304 R304 R46 R311 Malmesbury Riebeek-Kasteel Hermon Voëlvlei Riebeek West Paarl Wellington Kasteelberg Paardeberg B e r g MALMESBURY RIEBEEKBERG 1800 1200 hectares planted Data Courtesy of Wines of South Africa (WOSA). South African Wine Industry at a Glance total area k tons / ha total litres (M) export litres (M) wineries 600 0 125 250 375 500 2003 2004 2005 2006 2007 2008 2009 2010 2011 2012 Chenin Colombard Chardonnay Muscat d'Alexandria Muscat de Frontignan Pinotage Shiraz Ruby Cabernet Cabernet Sauvignon Cinsault 0 2400 Map data © Cosmographics Ltd. UK., 2014. Local winery Contours (heights in feet) 0 0 5 10 kilometers 5 10 miles SWARTLAND 5000 Eben Sadie with a selection of his wines. PHOTO: MAREE LOUW

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