South African wine: from the Swartland to the ocean

Four names come up time and again: Kanonkop's Paul Sauer and Black Label Pinotage in Stellenbosch, the Columella and Palladius from The Sadie Family in the Swartland, the Pinot Noir from Hamilton Russell in Hemel-en-Aarde, and the sweet wine of Constantia. These are the bottles where the country plays at world level, between €80 and €260 in our shop.

A red grape variety created in 1925 at Stellenbosch University by Abraham Perold, by crossing Pinot Noir and Cinsaut. It is not grown in quantity anywhere else. Its reputation suffered from the industrial versions of the 1990s and their paint-like note; today's bottles, from old bush vines, are a different world.

Same grape variety, two climates. The Cape gives riper wines, with quince and yellow fruit, and acidity that stays high thanks to the age of the vines and early harvests. The Loire plays more on green apple and tension. The best Swartland Chenins stand up to the comparison, often at half the price.

Because a generation of winemakers changed how the country is understood there from the late 1990s. Eben Sadie first, then David & Nadia, Badenhorst and Porseleinberg: unirrigated bush vines, granite and schist, fermentations with no added yeast. The result is saline Chenins and peppery Syrahs, at much lower alcohol levels than you would expect from a warm region.

The braai is the national meal and Pinotage was made for it: its smoky note echoes that of the grilled meat. A Swartland Syrah works just as well, especially with lamb. For wood-fired fish or grilled vegetables, an old-vine Chenin holds up to the smoke better than a neutral white.

The section starts at €9.50 and half the bottles stay under thirty-seven euros. Between €15 and €25 is probably the best value for pleasure in the whole cellar. Above seventy euros, you enter the world of Sadie, Kanonkop and Hamilton Russell, up to €264 for the Black Label.

In terms of finesse, the best get there, in Hemel-en-Aarde and Elgin, where sea air and altitude keep alcohol levels moderate. The difference lies mainly in the age of the vines and centuries of observing the plots. Yet at forty or fifty euros, a Crystallum offers what can no longer be found at that price in the Côte de Nuits.

A sweet Muscat wine made in Constantia since the 18th century, from grapes dried on the vine and with no added alcohol. It was served at the French court, Jane Austen mentions it, and Napoleon had it sent to Saint Helena. Two estates in our cellar still make it, under the names Grand Constance and Vin de Constantia.

Stellenbosch Bordeaux blends and the great Pinotages easily keep for fifteen to twenty years. Almost all old-vine Chenins benefit from five years' wait, and the best go well beyond that. Conversely, entry-level whites and light Cinsaults are made to be drunk within two years.

WO stands for Wine of Origin: the system introduced in 1973, which guarantees the stated origin, vintage and grape variety. Estate Wine indicates that the grapes come from the property and were vinified there. Old Vine Certified is a more recent seal, reserved for plots over thirty-five years old, with the planting year shown on the bottle.