Cape Terroir, toonie wine in South Africa

As soon as you leave the Capetown airport and turn onto Rte. 304 towards Stellenbosch town, you start seeing wineries, part of the large, famous Stellenbosch Wine District, which is divided up into several wards based on geography.

Vineyards dot both sides of the road all the way into the historical town, a classic example of colonial Dutch architecture. The beautiful university town is clean, safe and full of wonderful restaurants, cafés and shops. It really is a fantasy town in certain respects, especially when you stop for a glass of wine and lunch at Café Java and your wine costs just 15 rand - less than $2 Canadian!

How is that possible?

On the second day of my first trip to South Africa I visited the "cool climate" area of Hermanus, along the coast in the Walker Bay district. A tasting and lunch at the Newton-Johnson winery's restaurant, Heaven, with its spectacular view down the Hemel-en-Aarde valley to the ocean, might convince you that South Africa is the wine world's best-kept secret.

It is certainly under wraps in New Brunswick, where we get no wines - literally zero - from this fantastic ward. These are some of the best Chardonnays and Pinot Noirs outside of Burgundy, as evidenced by the world renowned Hamilton Russell and Bouchard Finlayson wines, as well as the newer producers that have popped up, including Sumaridge, Newton-Johnson and Ataraxia.

My next stops were wineries along the edge of the mountain range south of Stellenbosch. The decidedly posh Waterford Winery hosted a fine evening event with wines of some of the better Cape producers. The next day I lunched at Uva De Mira, a high altitude producer of fine, elegant award-winning Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and reds.

These fine wines contrast quite strongly with what we see at the ANBL, which is mostly bargain wine from South Africa. This is not to say that all those under-$15 wines are poor, although some reds do suffer from that overtly "smoked sausage/ashtray" nose, but it should be noted that the bulk of South African wines sold in this province do not represent the state of its industry.

South African wines in the 60-80 rand (around $8-10) range include some really good stuff; these are fresh, modern wines with lots of fruit, structure and balance. The problem is that they would cost $20 and up if they ever come to Canada.

Premium wines, such as the aforementioned Bouchard Finlayson Pinot Noir, which costs over 200 rand (around $25) at wine shops, would likely end up at around $50-60 if NB Liquor ever carried it. Stellenbosch classics, including some of the best Bordeaux-style blends in the world, are good deals in South Africa, but pretty pricey after shipping , mark-up and taxes.

We do see some of the semi-premium to premium wines occasionally at wine shows, and some can be bought in Nova Scotia, either from the liquor boards or at one of the private stores in Halifax. Bishop's Cellar down on the waterfront seems to have the best selection.

The best value wines here in New Brunswick seem to be the big brand wines for large companies, but we do have a few semi-premium, "step-up" wines. One is Flagstone, who only recently became part of the Constellation group. One wine that expresses the traditional Cape Blend well is Flagstone Dragon Tree, a mix of Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Chardonnay. This unusual blend goes for $19.79.

Based on what I've been eating down here, I'd say it goes well with springbok - local game that looks like an antelope - but lamb will do in a pinch.

Cheers!