Swartland revolution
Friday, 11 November 2011 00:00
Mention Swartland Winery and the chances are that most people will immediately comment “cheap and cheerful”.
But in recent years this large winery, one of the 10 biggest wine operations in the country, has joined “the Swartland revolution” in attempting to correct that misconception, and concentrate on creating wines that best showcase the innate quality and high flavour profiles of this rich and diverse area.
In fact, as you drive past the winery on the Malmesbury/Paarl road, you’ll soon spot the large billboard advertising “small berries, big taste”, in part attributable to the fact that grapes come from predominantly bush vines, resulting in fruit with highly concentrated flavours.
A whopping 10 million litres of wine is produced from grapes supplied by 60 farmers from vineyards which in total span 3 200 hectares.
If you visit the winery, you’ll feel dwarfed by the huge premises, which are as large as a not-too-shabby shopping centre. In the massive main cellar, gleaming steel tanks holding anything up to 80 tons of wine tower above one, for all the world like behemoth symbols of this mammoth producer.
It was not the cellar, surprisingly, but at a rather swish venue in Bishopscourt, Cape Town, that was the locale for the recent launch of the “reinvention” of this popular label.
Andries Blake, veteran winemaker, spoke about the stable of new wines and explained the revamp of the current range.
With more than 16 years winemaking experience at Swartland Winery, he has been able to pick and choose from some diverse wine growing regions, and his years at Rooiberg Cellar near Robertson, taught him to the meaning of the word terroir.
“No amount of massaging in the cellar can hide the impact of Mother Nature on the crop in difficult years, as the Swartland can be merciless weather-wise. This is the reason why so many interesting and expressive wines have emerged from the region in the last five to 10 years as winemakers have come to grips with the vagaries of the region,” he told a small group of wine writers prior to sampling the new wines.
Coupled with a new marketing drive, and complementing it, is the start of the innovative My Swartland campaign. “It is about telling people about the cellar’s range of wines, as well as showcasing the Swartland region’s many jewels including the culture, food, events, and other lifestyle elements that exist in abundance in the area.
“Swartland Winery, which was established in 1948, is inextricably part of the Swartland wine region … and we are proud to illustrate what makes us different to other wine regions.”
The campaign will no doubt finally recognise an area that has a wealth of attractions to offer – from the wines, to some remarkable tourist spots and fascinating history, to the landscape which changes from the gentle rolling green hills in the winter months to a more stark but equally enticing plateau of gentle yellows and browns in the hot summer months.
Mr Blake said the My Swartland campaign, which launches next month, involves the re-branding of the Swartland wines. The winery’s three wine ranges, the core Swartland Winery range, the Swartland Bushvine range, and the limited release Swartland Winemaker’s Collection range, will all be interwoven with the evolving story behind the campaign.
Of course an easy drinking range, one of the cores of the winery’s stable will remain – now labelled Swartland Winery. “These are wines for the heart and soul,” says Mr Blake.
The second tier, the flagship Bushvine range, consists of barrel-matured chenin blanc, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, pinotage, shiraz and cabernet sauvignon varietals. They are what Mr Blake terms “a bit more serious; wines that prefer food and perhaps a bit more contemplation”. Wines will only be bottled in years in which conditions are deemed appropriate for each varietal, he said.
Under the Winemaker’s Collection label, from time to time the winery will release wines from specially selected barrels of various single varietals or unusual blends, which Mr Blake says he regards as exceptional or interesting enough to set aside as “special cuveés”. The first experiments with viognier and barbera were sold out at the cellar door in little over a month, and next on the list is an aromatic white, and an unusual red blend that he has been working on for release early next year.
The Viognier 2010 we sampled was impressive indeed and was well received by everyone around the table. First fermented in stainless steel, it also spent time in French oak barrels.
A beautiful golden straw colour, the wine offered up enticing apple and apricot flavours on the nose and on the mouth was deliciously creamy and finished up with a delicate fragrance, so characteristic of this varietal. At R65 a bottle a steal!
Also sampled were three wines from the bush vine range (all 2010 vintage and all costing R95), which were highly expressive of that “small berries, big flavour” credo.
The cabernet sauvignon was aged in new and second fill French oak barrels for four months, with the best barrels selected for the final blend and then still bottle aged for a few months before release.
Nose it and you get whiffs of intense dark fruit, aromas of violet and a touch of darkest chocolate, and a sip elicits lovely black cherries and ripe dark forest fruits backed by smooth tannins. Definitely one for the cellar!
The pinotage was also matured for 14 months in new barrels – 90% French and 10% American and gives off lovely aromas of black plum and cherries with dark spice and some smokiness while on the palate fruitiness is complemented by firm tannins and a pleasant aftertaste of dark spices.
Finally, the shiraz was aged in a mix of new and older barrels predominantly French with 10% also going into American oak. You’ll find hints of sweet black cherries on the nose, while a taste confirms a beautiful balance between the oak and the fruit and a just a hint of spicness.
Considering that all the wines are 2010 vintage, the tannins were all surprisingly velvety and the wines, while immediately accessible, will all age well for several years.
They were teamed with some delicious Italian antipasta followed by a rosy rack of lamb – perfect partners for wines, which, in Mr Blake’s words, “combine the Old World classicism with a contemporary New World, fruit-driven style.”
Written by Orielle Berry You are reading Swartland revolution articles
