‘Swart’ is an Afrikaans word meaning ‘black’. After the Cape rains, mostly during the winter, the Renoster Bos takes on a dark appearance when viewed from the distance in large numbers. This phenomenon is due to the fine leaf-hairs adhering to the leaves when wetted.
Wine had been produced here for centuries but over the past two decades the region has grown tremendously in importance and complexity. The Swartland’s wide fertile plain is also the bread basket of Cape Town with its wheatfields reaching up to the foot of the mountains, interrupted by wine, fruit and vegetable farms. Viticulture in Swartland is practiced predominantly under dryland conditions, without or with minimal irrigation. Wines produced here are of an extraordinary quality, often sublime and ultimately pretty sought after.
Swartland Wine Route
For more information and lot of useful facts about the Swartland region visit their website:
www.swartlandwineroute.co.za. I found a very charming and inviting description of the region that simply waxes lyrical: “Sweeping wheat fields - golden in summer, mint-green in winter - are punctuated by azure dams on working farms, and sheep and cattle dot the landscape. Huge swathes of natural vegetation burst with fynbos plants - proteas, restios and ericas - and the rich resident birdlife is complemented in spring by migrants, with steppe buzzards and blackshouldered kites common along roadside fenceposts.”
The Santam Swartland Wine and Olive Route, established in 1986, offers visitors the kind of country extraordinary comfort and hospitality that quickly sweeps away the stress of urban living. The Swartland region is also home to the oldest colonial hotel of South Africa, The Royal Hotel in Riebeek Kasteel. In terms of the South African Wine of Origin scheme, Swartland is the District of the Coastal Region with two wards: Malmesbury and Riebeekberg. At present there are 24 members of the Wine Route, as it is listed on the above mentioned Swartland Wine Route website.
Swartland Revolution
The Revolution came about in November 2010 with twenty farms on board of which five cellars made a financial contribution: AA Badenhorst Family Wines, Mullineux Family Wines, Porseleinberg and two of Eben Sadie’s Cellars: Sequillo Cellars and The Sadie Family Wines. The essence of this annual event, which is scheduled to continue in November 2011, was probably best captured by my dear friend Harry Reginald Haddon, who eloquently stated: “I can confidently say that the Swartland Revolution was by far the most enjoyable wine event I have been to. It was run with Germanic efficiency but full of South African gees. There was a balance between formal tastings and lounging on the grass sipping Bollinger. We ate till we were fit to burst, and drank till we were dancing (read: falling off) hay bales, we chatted & laughed, sipped and smiled; this was a revolution against boring wines, against boring events; this was a revolt against the plain and the sad, the straight and the narrow; it was simply a benchmarking of joie de vivre.” (To read what else he had to say about the Swartland Revolution please visit
Harry's blog)
I visited cellars belonging to Adi Badenhorst, Eben Sadie, Callie and Maree Louw of Porseleinberg, Chris and Andrea Mullineux and Carla Kretzel and a winemaker Craig Hawkins from Lammershoek. I had an opportunity to taste their wines and introduce myself to the great wines of the region. The word ‘terroir’ comes from the French word terre meaning ‘land’. ‘Terroir’ was originally a term related to wine, coffee and tea, which is used to denote the special characteristics that the geography, geology and climate of a certain place bestowed upon particular varieties. It is absolutely awesome that every Shiraz I tasted from the above cellars had an unmistakably Swartland’s feel. Among all these scents of white and black pepper, spices, truffles, there was something unique, unmistakably pointing out to the soil of the Black Land. Is this really an ultimate notion of terroir? Yes, it is! I felt it and it was extremely exciting revelation.
Lammershoek winemaker Craig Hawkins showed me most of his ‘ordinary’ as well as his ‘artistic expression’ geek wines. Exuberance of his youth was contagious and he is a young lion to watch out closely. His wines were well-crafted, excited and with loads of character. I expect oodles of great wines from Lammershoek (owned by the Kretzel family) in the future. When tasting Eben Sadie Columella 2010 Shiraz and Mourvèdre blend from a barrel in his cellar and later on ‘marrying’ this great wine with a great Lamb burger with guacamole and bacon at Bar Bar Black Sheep restaurant in Riebeek Kasteel I felt supreme excitement. Eben Sadie’s wine was seamless, poetic, fabulously balanced and screamingly inviting. Eben was talking to me passionately about soil, terroir & truth in viticulture and winemaking. It was music for my ears. No wonder that Eben’s Columella is the only South African red wine to date to score 95 points in the USA Wine Spectator magazine! I found in history books that Lucius Junius Moderatus Columella was an ancient Roman writer whose De Re Rustica in twelve volumes has been completely preserved. Columella’s opus forms our most important source on Roman agriculture (including viticulture). Eben named his top wine after this great Roman viticulturist. What an appropriate way to honour an ancient viticulturist!