African nations all have football teams but only eight produce wine. South Africa is the continent's leading wine producer, benefiting as it does from the climatic influences of two oceans: the Atlantic and the Indian. Wine was first produced in South Africa more than three centuries ago, which means South Africa defies classification by wine enthusiasts as it is neither an old- world nor a new-world region. New-world wines tend to be aromatically overt with an emphasis on fruit purity whereas old-world wines are typically more restrained, with earthy undertones. While blind tasting for the master of wine exams, if a wine's character didn't fall neatly into one camp or another, my conclusion was that it must have been South African.
Although South Africa's oldest estates are mainly on warm inland sites amenable to red-wine varieties, in recent years there has been a scramble for cooler coastal sites, such as Elgin, Elim, Cape Agulhas and Walker Bay. White varieties dominate these vineyards but unlike most multivarietal regions, chardonnay accounted for, until recently, only a minor percentage of production. South Africa has certainly contri- buted its share to the world's glut of overoaked, fat chardonnays but, generally, South African chardon- nays are light, crisp and refreshing. Perhaps this is because the region's forte has always been tart white varieties, such as sauvignon blanc, chenin blanc and riesling, that favour the area's succulent seafood.
Graham Beck Waterside chardonnay 2008
Very appealing nose with restrained tropical fruit and lemon accents. Good acidity and balanced structure with some mid-palate roundness. Very fine length. Clean, fresh, unoaked chardy: excellent value.
Available for HK$95 at Sheppard Brothers (tel: 2542 0081)
Eikendal Janina unwooded chardonnay 2008
Zingy nectarine, citrus and apple with jasmine-tea-leaf accents. Medium bodied with an almost undetectable sweetness that softens the acidity. Moderate length. Good value.