South Africa: Winemaking

Winemaking in South Africa remains in a state of flux and experimentation, with younger winemakers who travel extensively, many working vintages in the northern hemisphere, challenging the orthodoxies of earlier generations and transforming the face and taste of the Cape’s best wines. While many of the more commercial wines reflect an environment where irrigation, higher yields, a warm climate, and low pH soils are the dominant factors, an increasing number of the better producers are offering wines which reflect considered viticultural practices, thoughtful vinifications, and élevage which does not depend on new oak to achieve results.