Alder Yarrow over at Vinography writes about his explorations of South African wines–while visiting South Africa. This southern hemisphere nation is perhaps my favorite wine-producing country in the world. Hell, I even like Pinotage. The closest I get to a good visit to South Africa is dining at Jiko, a restaurant at Disney’s Animal Kingdom Lodge that has a 100% South African wine list–and it’s a darn good list, too.
South Africa is one of the world’s most dynamic and up-and-coming wine regions. South African wines were largely unknown for decades because of the economic embargo against the former apartheid regime. Since the early 1990s, South African winemakers have quickly pushed their wines toward the top tier of quality, and they have achieved much success with their efforts. Sometimes the names can be tough to pronounce (I’m still working on Buitenverwachting), but the wines are very easy to enjoy. The only down side for those of us in the US is that we get very little South African wine in our markets.
Hats off to Alder. I’ll be following this series closely, and you should too.
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{ 2 comments… read them below or add one }
Hi,
Buitenverwachting is pronounced, ‘bay-tin-fur-Vachk-ting’.
Or in a pinch, its probably more easily remembered as the ‘bite me for watching’ wine. We’re their US importers, and have had a long time to practice. They also make a Sauvignon Blanc called ‘Beyond’, as Buitenverwachting translates to, ‘Beyond Expectation’. We created an entry level more retail-friendly wine for the US that’s easier to say and should be easier to find.
BTW, Alder is a tasting machine! I’ve seen him at the wine show and he honestly lived up to his word to taste as much as he could- think he may have hit the 300 mark today!
Hey, Molly, thanks for the comment. I’d heard that was the correct pronunciation for Buitenverwachting but it’s nice to have it confirmed!
I’ve had the Beyond down at the Epcot International Food and Wine Festival–great stuff. Haven’t seen it here in northern Indiana that I can recall.
300 wines in a single day is impressive. I consider it good if I hit 100 samples (consumed) in a week!