South African wine lovers’ attention is focused on Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc among white varieties; all terrific performers, but are we placing self-imposed limitations of diversity by not looking beyond them? Shouldn’t we be more aware of others which aren’t as well-known but are positively making their presence felt?
Rhône reds, Syrah and Grenache, have found favour with consumers, isn’t it time their white counterparts, Viognier, Grenache Blanc, Roussanne and Marsanne do so as well?
Viognier has been around for just over 20 years, Fairview producing the first commercial example in 1998. Today, it covers 765 hectares in both warmer and cooler areas. After some oily, blowsy early wines, most winemakers have now mastered Viognier, turning it into something altogether fresher and more subtle, whether as a varietal wine or in blends.
One variety which has grown in popularity is Grenache Blanc; 125 ha might not sound much, but that’s up from 46 ha ten years ago. Although adding interest to blends, varietal examples can produce great quality, as evidenced by Chris Williams’s The Foundry Grenache Blanc 2015, Platter’s White Wine of the Year in 2018. More are found on the shelves every year: Corlea Fourie, who makes the skin-fermented Bosman Family Vineyards Fides, assembled 15 local Grenache Blancs for a recent tasting. ‘With sufficient yield management, Grenache Blanc produces fresh, delicious wines and good wines in hot to very hot and dry vintages. Acidification is rarely necessary.’
These plusses listed by DeMorgenzon’s Carl van der Merwe, who has produced Grenache Blanc and Roussanne for Cape Winemakers Guild Auction, are countered by his observations that the variety is prone to rot in cooler, wetter years and produces uninteresting wines when over-cropped.
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