Only in recent years have South African winemakers toned down on oak, new oak in particular, with some eschewing oak entirely for certain wines; cement eggs, clay fermentation vessels and stainless steel have taken its place.
These unoaked wines are frequently complemented by an oaked version in the range, the former now being treated as a quality wine in its own right, rather than a simple, entry level offering.
Three producers tackling three different varieties – Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinotage – in both wooded and unwooded versions, explain their approach to unoaked wines.
Raats Original Chenin Blanc is an excellent example of the quality achievable without oak; Bruwer Raats 2016 is a Platter five star wine. His cousin and co-winemaker, Gavin Bruwer Slabbert, gives the inside story.
Fruit for this wine comes from both granite and sandstone-based vineyards, the former provides citrus flavours, mineral core and freshness, the latter more stone fruit, florals plus structure and depth. Important harvesting decisions rest on flavours and balance between sweetness and acid. The destemmed berries are pressed and naturally settled, followed by a cool, natural fermentation in stainless steel; lees contact is dependent on vintage. Slabbert sums up their goals as: ‘Fresh flavours, vibrancy and youthful drinkability but also structure and depth to allow the wine to age well.’
South Africa’s Chardonnay vineyards are now reaching a maturity which allows for more characterful unoaked examples. Nico Grobler’s Eikendal Unwooded Janina Chardonnay is as well regarded as his oaked version.
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