This evening we had the chance to compare the style of wines produced in South Africa against the same varietals from their place of origin, France. We may forget that South Africa has been producing wines since the mid 1600s which is older than some areas in southern France. South Africa though is not restricted by similar AOC type restrictions as are in France, so are more like other New World countries is what grapes are planted and their method of production. With this in mind, this evening was meant to see how the style of wines from South Africa differ or match those of France. We were entertained by a very wonderful speaker, Mr. Brent Fraser. Brent introduced us to a bit of the history of South Africa wine making up to the present, and reviewed a few of the prime grape growing regions.

Our reception wine was a non-vintage Methode Cap Classique, sparkling wine from Graham Beck. This wine was a blend of Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, was a brillant golden colour and had honey, apple, biscuity aromas and flavours.

Our wines this evening were paired by varietal. The first two wines are from the Sauvignon Blanc grape. Sauvignon Blanc is the fourth most plantd grape in South Africa. Overall 55% of grapes are white and 45% are red varietals. The Domaine Fouassier Sancerre "Les Romains" 2006 (Loire, France) was our first wine. This was not a high-acid, full fruited Sauvignon Blanc. It was more restrained with oaky, vegetal, honey and pear aromas. The wine had a round mouth feel indicating that at least part of the wine had undergone a secondary fermentation. It had medium acidity and a medium to long finish. The Life From Stone Sauvignon Blanc 2006 (South Africa)was much more in a New World, New Zealand-type style. It was very aromatic with intentse asparagus, herbal, grassy aromas. In your mouth, the high acidity made your mouth water. There was ample green apple flavour. Both these wines went well with the grilled black tiger prawns. The Life From Stone also went very well with the French Chevre.

Our next wine comparison was with the Chenin Blanc varietal. This grape is one of the main varietals in the Loire Valley, and produces a range of wines from bone dry, to sweet, and to sparkling. In South Africa, the Chenin Blanc grape is known as "Steen" and has been known to take on a unique oaky character, sans oak. We first tried the Raats "Original" Chenin Blanc 2006 (South Africa). This wine had a light honey, oak and peach aromas. There were big legs on this wine, which suggests a high alcohol content, but it was very well balanced with the fuitiness in the wine. It had a nice round mouthfeel, with good acidity and red apple flavours. One also tasted creaminess from extended lees aging. The Chateau Gaudrelle Vouvray 2005 (Loire, France) was deepr coloured than the Raats. It had a wide range of peachy, spicy and flowery notes. The spiciness and peachiness continued on the palate. It was a lighter bodied Vouvray and also had a bit of residual sugar. Both wines went well with the grilled black tiger prawans and the breast of chicken.

We then moved on to the reds for the evening. The Chateau La Longua Fronsac 2003 (Bordeaux, France) is from the Right Bank. This wine is primarily made from merlot, with a bit of Cabernet Sauvignon or possibly Cabernet Franc for structure. This wine was medium red, bright and clear in the glass, but is starting to show a slight bricking on the trim. This wine had a wide range of aromas, including red cherries, spice, perfume and cedar. The wine had strong tannins, but were fined. It had medium length with red cherry flavour and some oak. The De Toren "Diversity" 2003 (South Africa) is a true Bordeaux blend. While most Bordeaux blends use 2 or 3 of the permitted varietals, the Diversity uses all 5 varietals. The 5 varietals are Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec. This wine was deep red with a purple tinge. The bouquet with quite green and stemmy. On the palate it was more apple and red fruit and medium acidity. This wine went very well with the filet of beef. Both wines went well with the sirloin of lamb.

Our final pair of wines were Syrah based. The Saint Cosme St. Joseph 2005 (Rhone, France) comes from the southern end of the northern Rhone valley. The northern Rhone valley is well known for Hermitage and Cote Rotie, making very full-bodied syrahs. The Saint Cosme St. Joseph was very deep purple coloured. There were dark fruit, pepper and oak aromas. The dark fruits persisted onto the palate and had quite strong tannins. This wine could wait 3-15 years to improve in the bottle. Our final wine was the Scali Syrah 2004 (South Africa). This comes from the hot Paarl region of South Africa. It was more fruit forward compared to the Saint Cosme St. Joseph. This wine too was deeply purple coloured. There was not much aroma, but had more fruit than the Saint Cosme. It had alot of dark fruit, pepperiness, and lower tannins. The two syrahs went very well with the sirloin of lamb. The Scali also went very well with the filet of beef. Overall the South African reds went better with the lamb and beef dishes.

Tasting Selection
Favourite White: Domaine Fouassier Sancerre "Les Romains" 2006 (Loire, France)
Favorite Red: Scali Syrah 2004 (South Africa)

Send us your story

If you have recently travelled to one of the Southern Hemisphere wine countries, then please drop us a note. We'd love to put up a wine travel page .....