White blends South Africa's greatest wine opportunity

White blends are South Africa's greatest chance for unique and authentic wine positioning. So said Eben Sadie in his opening remarks at a benchmark workshop that guests described as a "watershed moment" for the industry. 
 
Sadie's assertion was brought to bear by the calibre of the guests, with the Forest 44 venue outside Stellenbosch filled to capacity with 55 of South Africa's most promising winemakers, for the Great White Tasting 2009.

Featuring speakers from South Africa, London and France, the tasting was held for the first time in a participative format; with benchmark blends tasted and techniques and trends discussed.

First up was Sadie, the winner of best white wine in the 2010 Platter's Guide, fittingly for Palladius, his flagship white blend. Sadie discussed the importance of reflecting our own terroir, using vines that are suited to South African soil, rather than vines that are "kept alive" with irrigation supply.

He pointed to the existence of historic old vines that have survived the scourge of market demand, with pockets of old Chenin Blanc, Verdehlo and Grenache amongst his list of must-haves in blending his Swartland wines. He noted the rising variety of available cultivars and the exciting implications for producing great blends from the country's vast diversity of terroir.

Visiting winemaker Peter Fischer from Château Revelette, and one of three collaborators of Trio Infernal in Spain, spoke of the importance of natural production in truly reflecting terroir in top white blends. Peter's determination to pursue organic process grew with "age and experience"; the value of his endeavours clearly evident in the quality of the wines he presented to workshop participants.

Noting the importance of organic wine production as part of a wider story that builds a brand of wine, Greg Sherwood, head buyer of London's Handford Wines, presented a compelling case for the value of top blends.

"The combinations and permutations are endless with white blends - different cultivars and terroir, blend percentage and style make this a category of great diversity," Sherwood said. "Where I might be persuaded to cut single cultivar wines, I rarely delist blends, because they are unique."

Sherwood spoke to the growth in sales of South African wines despite a general downturn in the wine economy. According to Nielsen figures for the month of June 2009, South African off-consumption sales grew by upwards of 30%, with an unmatched growth of 134% shown in the above-£10 category. Although unsustainable in the current financial climate, Sherwood said the growth has occurred in the context of what he believes to be the most competitive market in the wine-consuming world.

Sadie concluded the speaker session with a summary and officially opened the floor, in a non-political format that he explained was the benefit of a "level playing field" of sponsor representation.

The event concluded with a tasting of participants' wines, including international blends supplied by Peter Fischer, and Handford Wines. A casual self-pour format encouraged discussion and debate, with winemakers mixing freely with members of the trade.

The dialogue that ensued is likely to continue until the next Great White Tasting, in November 2010. For further information on the speakers and sponsors for 2009, articles in print and an image library, visit www.greatwhitetasting.co.za.