Varietal wines remain a favourite with consumers thanks to their familiar names; Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Syrah or Shiraz in the red line up are well-known and have their own fans. What many perhaps don’t realise is even those wines are often blends, as legally, up to 15% of another variety is permitted.
Some of South Africa’s historic red wines have been marketed as blends. Chateau Libertas, originally part of Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery, now Distell, was among the first and is still going strong after 89 years. American, Dr Bill Winshaw, founded the brand in 1932; Cabernet has always been a stalwart component, in the early days, with partners Pinotage and Cinsaut; this latter pair have now made way for Rhône varieties.
Rustenberg Dry Red is another celebrated blend fondly remembered by many. Dating back to the 1960s, this was two-thirds Cabernet, one-third Cinsaut co-fermented, an unusual method then; it proved most enjoyable as a young wine, but also showed excellent staying power. The Rustenberg was discontinued in the 1980s but, more recently, the Cabernet-Cinsaut pairing is enjoying a renaissance.
The classic Bordeaux mix of Cabernet with any or all of Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Petit Verdot and Malbec was introduced with 1979 Welgemeend. Numerically, it’s the most popular blend; many international awards point to its success with judges; consumers too understand and accept the Bordeaux blend, probably more than others, the Cape Blend for instance. For the purposes of competitions, Pinotage is an essential component in the latter with any other red varieties.
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