Three outstanding wines from South Africa, ‘most exciting’ winemaking country in the world
Two young whites and a red from JH Meyer, BLANKbottle and Crystallum are testament to the country’s youthful winemaking talent
Master of wine Tim Atkin has exuberantly described South Africa as “the most exciting wine producing country on the planet”. He says an essential factor behind the country’s success is “youthful talent, coupled with enthusiasm and the desire to work together to promote South Africa”.
Asked who the country’s hottest winemakers are, Atkin highlights three of special note.
Johan Meyer, better known as “Stompie”, is among the most accomplished of the new wave of Swartland-based producers, and has spoken of his desire “to make honest, clean natural wines showing the terroir rather than a style”. The JH Meyer Signature vineyards are farmed organically and harvesting takes place over three tris (passages). Other than sulphur dioxide at bottling, no additives are used.
Pieter Walser, founder of BLANKbottle, meanwhile, asks that consumers “judge my wines on what’s in the bottle, not the varietal on the label”. He says his aim when starting out was “to create an honest wine brand that has no limitations when it came to style, vintage, area or cultivars to break down any preconceived expectations”.
BLANKbottle is constantly evolving as Walser experiments with new blends and styles, always aiming to deliver “something for someone with an open mind and an adventurous heart”.