LATEST ISSUES
The South African Edition
South Africa’s winemakers continue to bring some of the world’s greatest produce to consumers around the globe, despite many ongoing issues in the country which have not made things easy for business.
A serious drought in 2018, political and economic turmoil, issues with water and power distribution, ongoing challenges with an unsteady exchange rate, and the latest threat – land expropriation without compensation – have all made things difficult for the country’s vineyards.
The drought has caused stocks to dwindle and, as we all know, when supply drops prices rise. Locally, prices are likely to shoot up in the very near future, and prices for international buyers are also expected to rise. But many wine companies have been undercharging for some time, so this increase comes as a sort of ‘balancing’ in the industry.
This year saw the smallest grape harvest since 2005 with bunches smaller, lighter and less dense than in the past. This is a problem and is largely credited to the drought that decimated agricultural crops in the country’s Western Cape province, the heart of South Africa’s wine industry.
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Then there’s the land issue – President Cyril Ramaphosa, a man largely thought to be a business-friendly leader, is yet to provide clarity of the topic of land expropriation without compensation – where some farmers could see their land seized by the government and given to local communities to run. This has caused uncertainty in the industry and investment has slowed.
But, despite this sour backdrop, the wine coming from the vineyards remains fantastic. The skill and ingenuity of the winemakers is clear for the world to see. Pinotage and Chenin Blanc – South Africa’s famous varieties – are now backed by world-class Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chardonnay, Cabernet Franc and outstanding Bordeaux-style blends.
In this edition of Wine & Spirit Review we take in some of the country’s best, and we advise on quality of taste rather than price, reputation or exclusivity.
Look out for The Goose Expression, from pro golf star Retief Goosen, Villa Esposto Pinotage, and Babylonstoren Chardonnay.
The English Edition
Although it has been a tough few months for the UK wine industry, with frosts in late-winter and early spring wreaking havoc across vineyards, the business remains on course to post yet another impressive year of development.
In the past decade, UK wines – English sparkling in particular – have become known for quality and are now in many cases the first choice, even over Cava, Prosecco and Champagne. The number of acres
planted with grapevines in England and Wales has grown by 135% in the last 10 years and demand for English bubbles comes from more than 30 countries around the world.
And stills from England are also impressing with reports suggesting that the UK will see a record one million vines over the next 12 months, allowing growers to produce an extra two million bottles of wine a year.
In this edition, our lead feature comes from Winbirri Vineyards in Norfolk where a young winemakeris intensely focussed on quality and as a result is producing wines of the highest order. We have to congratulate Winbirri Vineyards on winning the Gore-Brown Trophy from the UK Vineyards Association for ‘Wine of the Year 2016’. The 2015 Bacchus produced by Lee Dyer and team is simply sensational.
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He tells us more about how the business started, developments that are underway right now, and what plans he has for the future and developing the quickly growing reputation of wines produced in East Anglia.
Be sure to look out for our Q3 edition, which is already well under way, as we’ll be looking at one ofthe world’s wine powerhouses, South Africa. we hear from one of the country’s most prominent businesses on exactly how hard it is to turn a wine business into a sustainable and profitable organisation.
We’ve review Stellenbosch blends, Swartland single varieties, Franschhoek sparkling, and some remarkable Cabernet Sauvignon which we think is up there with the best in the business!