Tuesday, 10 August, 2021
Wines of South Africa, Fiona McDonald
The black cover depicted a clear glass prism with a shaft of light project onto one plane – and the visible spectrum emerging in rainbow separation on the other. It was conceived by graphic designer Storm Thorgerson, together with Aubrey Powell – and their company Hipgnosis was well and truly put on the map as a result.
That glass triangle image and the strongly thematic album became symbolic of counter culture at the time. And here’s the local wine angle: the Agulhas wine triangle which links a group of like-minded producers and promotes the multiple and varied charms of the Elim and Agulhas area.
Not to be obtuse, but whether or not it could be geometrically delineated as a triangle is moot because this true southern tip of the African continent is a beautifully unique and special place. It’s home to Strandveld vineyards, Black Oystercatcher, Giant Periwinkle, Land’s End, Bruce Jack Wines, Lomond, Zoetendal, Sjinn and Olivedale.
It’s cool – genuinely cool which makes it a happy hunting ground for Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes which find their way into a host of other labels. David Niewoudt of Cederberg famously uses grapes from the area for his Ghost Corner range with The Bowline blend a standout. Trizanne Barnard has long sung the praises of the area and its grapes which she uses in her eponymous range. And her faith has been vindicated in her recent Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show triumph when her 2019 Reserve Syrah won the varietal trophy with a score of 97 points. La Motte cellarmaster Edmund Terblanche is also a fan of the area, sourcing Sauvignon Blanc and blending it with his Franschhoek fruit.
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