Although most everyone knows Champagne for its delightful sparkling wine, many other regions around the world make equally delicious bottles in the same method.
In South Africa, these wines are called Cap Classique, and some producers make bottles that could easily rival their French counterparts. Graham Beck's Blanc de Blanc made entirely out of Chardonnay is one such bottle, and was one we were quite glad to try.
If there are elements of a white wine that we do not enjoy too much, it would be overuse of oak and/or malolactic fermentation to the point that it overshadows the flavors of the base wine.
A little? Great! A lot? We really aren't into it.
Meerlust's Chardonnay out of South Africa was one such bottle, and we honestly wish it was just a bit more restrained in the oak here. This one packs a punch!
We will never say no to a good Sauvignon Blanc, as this versatile white grape can be grown all over the world with very interesting flavors exhibited.
Gabrielskloof's Amphora Sauvignon Blanc is an interesting one as the wine is naturally fermented in clay amphora and aged on the gross lees for a number of months before bottling- a bit of a nod to historic winemaking pre-stainless steel.
What resulted is an interesting Sauvignon Blanc with some unexpected complexities!
In our never-ending quest to try new grape varietals, we come to Cederberg's Bukettraube from South Africa.
This white grape was created in Germany as a cross between Silvaner and Schiava and grew in popularity in select regions, including South Africa.
While this grape reminded us of an aromatic Muscat in many respects, the balance of acidity, sugar, and flavor kept us coming back.
Pinotage is one of those grapes we can't get enough of. A bit like Pinot Noir but also a bit more robust- often with darker fruit flavors and notes of coffee and chocolate. There really is a lot of love about this one.
Neethlingshof's The Owl Post Pinotage was one such bottle that hit all the great hallmarks of this South African grape, and we drank our way through this one quickly!
If you love a good Rhone red blend the way I do, you may wonder if any other regions in the world can make a killer blend that would stand up to these famous French wines.
In South Africa, producer A.A. Badenhorst makes a pretty delicious bottle that packs a bit more of a punch than you'd expect thanks to being a blend of Syrah, Grenache, Cinsault plus Tinta Barroca and Touriga Nacional for good measure.
This one certainly did not leave us wanting more for complexity!
When it comes to white South Africa wines, our minds often go to the popular and expressive grape, Chenin Blanc.
But Momento took it one step further for this one with producing a unique blend using this popular grape alongside Verdelho (approximately 63% Chenin Blanc, 37% Verdelho). So while the Chenin Blanc character comes through primarily, the Verdelho adds a nice little twist in this one!
Oh Pinotage, you are an interesting grape. A cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, this popular South African variety has many of the characteristics we love about the former grape bit amped up in intensity from the latter.
Interestingly enough, Pinotage comes with an interesting flavor characteristic you may not find on other grapes- coffee!
While we would say that David & Nadia's Topography Pinotage is perhaps lighter in the coffee notes than we've had in other bottles of this grape, it does hit us with all the right notes all the same.
We're quickly learning that we love South African Chardonnay and it is for two great reasons.
First, the grape seems to grow beautifully in this country and many wine makers do not seem to go over-the-top on winemaking choices like barrel aging or malolactic fermentation (of the ones we've tried, at least). Second, you can find an incredible bottle for a fraction of the price of other, perhaps more well-known regions for this particular grape (California I'm looking at you on both accounts).
So while Hamilton Russell's Chardonnay may be a bit of a splurge by South Africa wine standards, this one holds up and is perhaps our favorite Chardonnay we've had to date.
Chenin Blanc is said to be the most widely planted grape in South Africa, and after taking a sip of a bottle like Tania et Vincent Careme's Terre Brulee Le Blanc you'll understand why.
This one comes loaded with tart fruit and a bitterness that is balanced quite well.