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Sitting in Stellenbosch, sipping a glass of “Jim” Semillon created by winemaker Callan Williams (known as The Garajeest), I kept playing a song by The Doors – fronted by Jim Morrison, after whom the wine is named – in my head.
The song was Five to One and, after a few glasses, I started doing South African wine by the number.
De Toren is a private cellar that makes high-end wines in very limited quantities that sell at premium prices. The 2017 Fusion V is a Bordeaux-style blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Malbec, Cabernet Franc, Merlot and Petit Verdot, and is fairly high in alcohol (14.79%/volume).
De Toren and winemaker Charles Williams epitomise the contention that producing great wines entails combining science with art, using near-infrared aerial imaging (NIR) to determine which soils are best for each varietal.
The 2017 Fusion V has an ageing potential of 20 years and more. The latest vintage carries a unit price of R550 per 750ml bottle and is obtainable through the estate’s online sales portal
“I love cats,” laughs co-owner Anne Jakubiec, “so I bullied my partners into the name.”
The names might be tongue-in-cheek – think Calico for the Sauvignon Blanc-Semillon blend, Pink Panther Rosé, Picatso dessert wine and Champurrrs for the bubbly – but the wines from this boutique producer are serious … and good value for money.
Prices range from a bargain-basement R50 a bottle for the 2012 Chardonnay as well as the unlabelled 2018 Sauvignon Blanc and 2019 Chenin Blanc to a “high end” R190 for the Champurrrs and R230 a bottle for the 2014 Grenache.
“The business started as a hobby selling unlabelled wines to friends and family but it got bigger and bigger,” says Jakubiec.
Bloemfontein-born JD Pretorius spent more than 10 years making wines in Constantia before moving to Warwick as cellarmaster earlier this year following the estate’s sale (as well as that neighbour Uitkyk) to San Francisco-based investment company Eileses Capital.
The farm was previously owned by the Ratcliffe family who released their first wines made under the Warwick label by the legendary Norma Ratcliffe – known as the “First Lady” of South African wine – in 1984.
The first three-varietal Bordeaux-style blend Trilogy comprising was produced two years later and has appeared every year since then, garnering numerous awards and accolades.
Born in Pretoria, Stephan and Retief du Toit spent their formative years in Stellenbosch on L’Avenir before buying a tiny nearby property in 1998. Both were otherwise employed, Stephan making wine for other cellars and Retief in the finance world, and they only started developing the 5ha Le Present a decade later.
In the process, their dream of starting a family business called Deux Frères (Two Brothers) was realised.
“We planted four cultivars,” recalls Retief, “which provided the basis for two blends; a Cabernet Sauvignon-Petit Verdot and a Shiraz-Mourvèdre. “We weren’t happy with the initial results, especially the Shiraz-Mourvèdre, so sold most of the production to someone who added his own label. “It won awards for the next three years!”
Strandveld Wines is located near Cape Agulhas (The Cape of Needles) and the First Sighting name alludes to Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias’ initial view of the southern tip of Africa in May 1488.
Strandveld is the southernmost winery in South Africa. Marketing manager Jackie Rabe says the range “pays homage to the great vision that inspired Portuguese explorers to discover a sea route to the spice-rich east, overcoming their fear of sea monsters and boiling waters at the equator”.
First Sighting comprises four affordable and versatile wines – Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Sauvignon Blanc and Rosé – that can be bought online through GetWine.
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