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I can’t think of any reason to not like South Africa: it’s exotic, it has lions, it has great local delicacies, it is vibrant and colourful, it has reverse seasons, and it has some fantastic wine.

That last one, I wasn’t quite sure of till I made a recent trip that changed everything.
Today, here’s a round-off, in the rare case that you start talking cricket and someone brings up wine, you shouldn’t feel stumped.

South Africa is the oldest of the New World destinations to have had vines. They arrived with the immigrants back in the 17th century and have been planted ever since.
The varieties were and are mostly European.

The wine regions are mostly to be found around the Cape region in the West, not far from Cape Town. Cape Town itself is quite an attractive destination with its waterfront bars and restaurants but that’s another hedonistic trail. For now we head to
Stellenbosch, synonymous with wine-making. That is not the only region, there are also Paarl, Swartland, Franschoek, Robertson, and Darling among others. There are vine lands on the East coast as well but tiny for the moment. Here, around the cape, in the valleys and on the slopes are to be found some of the most picturesque vineyards of the world. Set against lovely glistening granite rocks in some places, rolling sandy terraces elsewhere, vine slopes on the foothills of mountains looking out to the sea — if wine making is an art, viticulture here is akin to gardening.

Among the wines, I suggest you definitely try Chenin Blanc. Do not compare it to Indian wines, you will apply for a change of citizenship if you do. Not only are our Chenins crappy, they are also about ten times more expensive. I sipped a Chenin made from 50-year-old vines and it cost no more than Rs700. For Rs2000 you could get a similar wine but one good decade aged. All the Indian wines put together couldn’t age that much and yet they think they are worthy of 450 of our hard-earned rupees. The Rhone blends are great as also straight Shiraz. Cabernet was pretty so-so, better were the Bordeaux style blends. Some winemakers are making things that will shock the world and I will share names next time around.

The Method Cap classique, their attempt at champagne style wine is best avoided except by one man — Peter Ferreira who is among the best magicians with bubbly in the world!

Apart from these ‘imported’ grapes, there is however a popular local grape called Pinotage. It was a cross obtained by a certain Professor Perold by pairing up Pinot Noir with Cinsault back in 1924. The former is known for elegance while the latter has marked strength of colour and character. In my head I get visions of a mad scientist concocting all sorts in his laboratory because a clear majority of Pinotage you may try will leave you feeling roughed up, as if the professor were having his revenge on the world of fine tastes.

But don’t let that sound like the last word. There are some very good examples. I would tell you but then that would mean not knowing the not so good ones. For this reason, I urge you to try and let me know what you find."

Next time I will share some brand names with you. Till then, read up on South Africa and see if you can find it on a map.
The writer is a sommelier