Aristargos 2022

This cuvée comes from the Swartland, north of Cape Town, and blends grapes from 21 vineyards. It is rooted mainly in the granite soils of the Paardeberg, complemented by plots of shallow schist and iron-rich clays west of Malmesbury. The dry-farmed vines were planted between 1960 and 2013.

The grapes are picked in 28 lots and whole-bunch pressed. Fermentations are natural. Ageing lasts 11 months, mostly in old, neutral French barrels, with a portion in concrete. The two lots of Sémillon macerate on their skins for a week before a year's ageing in a very old 2,500-litre foudre; the Colombard macerates for five days and two Chenin Blanc components go through concrete tanks, including an egg.

This wine reveals notes of ripe apple, pear, quince, yellow peach, lemon, mandarin, grapefruit, linden blossom, honey, beeswax, ginger, pistachio, green olive, smoke and sea salt. The palate, broad without heaviness, unfolds a waxy, delicately chalky texture, energised by fine, taut acidity. A light fruit-skin bitterness refines the texture, while the saline, spicy finish remains long and very fresh.

The first vines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, although wine production did not really take off until the arrival of the French Huguenots in the 1680s, with their viticultural skills and knowledge. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, its first vineyards having been planted in the 1690s. Today South Africa is one of the most important wine-producing countries in the southern hemisphere. With more than 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. Most wines are made using New World winemaking techniques, yet stylistically they often have more in common with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has attracted international attention and won acclaim for its great diversity of styles. The South African wine industry is spread across the lush, rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, an abundance of mountains, valleys and plateaux allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards are also found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat, arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions enjoy a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The country's signature grape variety is Pinotage, a native cross of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut rarely found in any quantity in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often brought together in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc have become popular internationally in recent years.