I was interested to learn that the Robertson Wine Route had recently been accepted as a member of the Proudly South African campaign. It's the first wine route to join the movement and I'm rather surprised that other wine routes have not climbed on the bandwagon. I often think we South Africans are far too reticent about what we do. Our winemakers continually aspire to a Bordeaux blend, rather than aiming for a truly South African blend.

Simply by referring to our blends as “Bordeaux” we are apologetically admitting that we are copying somebody else. And no copy can be greater than the original. We should be telling the world that South African wines are better than those from most other countries, not just almost as good as. Already our products are making a significant impact on overseas markets. They could make an even greater impact by displaying that colourful little Proudly South African emblem on every bottle.

It's not easy to qualify for the emblem. To earn it, companies must spend at least 50% of their input costs (including labour) in South Africa. Qualifying companies must be committed to fair labour practices and their products must be of a high standard. They must also comply with strict environmental standards. Now that Robertson has shown the way, let's hope we see other regions becoming Proudly South African. In today's fiercely competitive international market, it's just not good enough to be excellent. We have to tell people we're excellent.

Wildekrans wine estate seemed to have slipped from public view for a while, so it was good to see that they had released three new white wines, all of which are pleasantly individual and full of character . The Wildekrans labels have also been jazzed up a bit and are more eye-catching than the old black and white ones. The Wildekrans Sauvignon Blanc 2005 is a pleasantly crisp, lightish summer wine full of fruit flavours and aromas – gooseberries, pears, apple, apricots and figs. The Chenin Blanc 2005 reminds one of crisp green apples and apricots. After being fermented in steel tanks the wine was given a touch of oak that is barely discernable, but adds to the complexity. The third new release is a white blend called Caresse Marine White 2005 and is a lively blend of Chenin Blanc (69%) and Sauvignon Blanc (31%) and is meant to be enjoyed young. The wines are reasonably priced at between R36 for the Sauvignon Blanc to R26 for the Caresse.

Another exciting new wine event was the release of two ranges from Zorgvliet, the historic winery in the Banhoek Valley between Stellenbosch and Franschhoek. Their flagship Zorgvliet range consists of a Sauvignon Blanc 2004, a Shiraz 2003 and a Cabernet Sauvignon 2003. The Zorgvliet Silver Myn range derives its name from the estate's interesting history. According to local folklore, a crook convinced investors that he had discovered a silver deposit in the Simonsberg in 1740. Old trenches on the farm are still proof of the five-year life of the “salted silver mine”. The Silver Myn range consists of a Dry Rosé 2005, a Sauvignon Blanc 2005 and Chardonnay 2005 as well as a Cabernet Sauvignon 2003, a Merlot Cabernet Franc 2003 and a Cabernet Franc 2004, Petit Verdot 2004 and Shiraz 2004.

All are well worth trying.

Source: http://www.tonight.co.za/?fArticleId=2943608&fSectionId=358&fSetId=251