For a long time, South African wine had the image of a strong character, with heavy whites and tannic reds with a high alcohol concentration, the product of a 1990s fashion and a local system favoring mass production. But things are changing. Under the influence of a new wave, the South African wine industry is undergoing a complete metamorphosis.
"South Africa is probably one of the most exciting wine producers of the moment," said world-renowned critic Tim Atkin. A specialist on the world's eighth-largest wine producer, this Master of Wine – one of the most prestigious titles in the trade – publishes an annual bible on South African production. In the latest edition, he has written that South African white wines are among the best in the world. "There's a groundswell of people producing fresher, more detailed styles, with a stronger identity," the critic said.
This turning point came with the end of apartheid in 1991. Young winemakers took advantage of the opening up of the country to travel, particularly in Europe. They rediscovered traditional techniques and a sense of terroir that was virtually non-existent in their own country, where production was mainly carried out by powerful cooperatives that bought grapes wholesale from farmers juggling fruit, livestock and cereals.
"Over the last 10 years, there has been a very strong movement towards producing more subtle wines, with lower alcohol concentrations and higher acidity," said vineyard management expert Rosa Kruger. "This goes hand in hand with greater attention to soil health and the re-composition of our vineyards. If you grow dead soil, alcohol levels will skyrocket because sugar will soar and acidity will drop because there's no life in the soil to support the roots."
With her Old Vine project, Kruger is one of the inspirers of this return to basics. The initiative aims to protect and develop vines over 35 years old in a country where they have been cultivated since the 17th century, notably under the influence of the Huguenots, the French Protestants who fled religious persecution after the revocation of the Edict of Nantes in 1685.
The project grew out of her travels in Europe and Argentina, during which she fell in love with the resilience and generosity of wines made from old vines that tell a story. Launched informally in the early 2000s, the Old Vine project now boasts 140 members, including some of the country's finest producers, such as Chris Alheit, Ian Naudé and John Seccombe of Thorne & Daughters.
Iconoclastic winemaker Eben Sadie, 52, is also one of them. He didn't wait for the end of apartheid to broaden his horizons. "I was in the army in the old South Africa and I said to myself that I didn't want to live here because of apartheid and all that crap," he said. France, Spain, California, Germany, Austria: He traveled the wine world, gathering experience before returning in the late 1990s to help build the new South Africa.
Penniless, he began by producing wine in a tiny cellar, "almost a garage," before buying a small estate. By 1998, he was one of the first to set up in Swartland, a region of the Western Cape swept by Atlantic winds, producing 100% natural wines. Forget enzymes, sulfites, filtration, etc. "For me, all that stuff is like putting too much make-up on wine," said Sadie.
At the time, he was considered an original. Some still refer to cowboys or hippie winemakers to describe the trend he helped launch in Swartland. "I'm not a hippy. I'm scientifically trained, I've worked in some of the best vineyards in the world and I came back to make serious wine," the winemaker said. In fact, 25 years after his first experiments, he is better described as a visionary.
His estate, the most renowned in the country, is racking up awards. The 85,000 bottles produced each year are snapped up in a single day, and Swartland has become one of South Africa's hottest wine-growing regions, rivaling the traditional stronghold of Stellenbosch. Sold for around 120 euros, its most famous cru, Columella, is a red wine made from a blend of eight grape varieties. A "spicy, floral and seductive wine," wrote Atkin, who described it as "the meeting of the Rhone Valley and Pinot Noir, combining grace and intensity."
Under the influence of Sadie and other independent producers, South African wine is diversifying beyond the traditional Chenin blanc, chardonnay, syrah or cabernet sauvignon. It is more reliable and has fewer defects thanks to a better mastery of the art of viticulture and winemaking, said Atkin. This move upmarket has earned it growing recognition on the international scene.
Winners of prestigious competitions, the best bottles are served at some of the world's finest restaurants, such as The Fat Duck, owned by chef Heston Blumenthal in the UK, or Jan Hendrik van der Westhuizen's Michelin-starred restaurant in Nice. And the sector is attracting more and more foreign investors, particularly from France. "Every year, new critics, specialist publications and wine merchants are getting enthusiastic about South African wines, but there's still a lot of work to be done," said Maryna Calow, spokeswoman for Wines of South Africa, the association of South African wine producers and exporters.
With the average consumer, the sector has yet to shake off its image of cheap wine – the niche that cooperatives have taken up since the lifting of sanctions against the apartheid regime. To achieve this, Wines of South Africa is focusing on wine tourism in the Cape region. Calow also emphasized the excellent value for money of South African wines. "For less than 15 euros, you can drink very good wine, probably better than any other at that price," said Atkin.
Betting on quality, however, remains a risky bet in South Africa, where it's often more profitable to produce in quantity, with bulk wines still accounting for 60% of exports. The sector also comes up against the limitations of the local market, which is more fond of beers and strong spirits. South Africa is "one of the few wine-producing countries where people don't really drink wine," Callow noted. Only 8% of the population drink wine, usually at less than 5 euros a bottle.
But the biggest challenge facing the South African wine industry is climate change. "We have heat waves that can reach 45°C and more and more heavy rain. As I speak, there's a huge storm and through my window I see water, water and more water," said Kruger, worried as torrential rain lashed the Cape region on July 11.
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Translation of an original article published in French on lemonde.fr; the publisher may only be liable for the French version.