Far from the Cape Dutch gables of Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Constantia lies the dry, dusty Swartland — an area once known as SA’s great wheat and grain heartland and for vineyards that produced mostly bulk wine that went into cheaper, nondescript blends.
Then came the Swartland Revolution in the late 1990s/early 2000s, led by a new generation of maverick winemakers who didn’t inherit family farms in traditional winemaking areas, who explored and pushed boundaries at a time when our country was emerging from global pariah status and the wine industry was coming out of the regulatory stranglehold of the KWV.
The Swartland is the area a bit north of Paarl and Wellington, slightly east of Darling, centred around Malmesbury, Riebeek Wes, Tulbagh, and stretching to Piketberg to the north.
Here, the young guns found gnarled old dryland vineyards to source grapes and turn the Swartland wine story into something different and distinctive coming out of South African winemaking, becoming part of the vanguard of putting the country back on the world wine stage.
The wine narrative of the Swartland shifted from bulk wine and fortified wines such as port (Allesverloren long the famed producer there), muscadel and jerepigo, to a story of old heritage vineyards, dryland farming and minimal-intervention winemaking.
The leading pioneers were the likes of Adie Badenhorst, the Sadies (Eben as well as David & Nadia, no relation), Andrea and Chris Mullineux, and Porseleinberg.
Behind the scenes, one of the first to “discover” the potential of the Swartland’s dry conditions and old vines was Charles Back of Fairview, who acquired Klein Amoskuil outside Malmesbury in 1995, with Eben Sadie his first winemaker.
Meanwhile, there are the venerable legacy producers of wine and port such as Allesverloren in the Riebeek Valley, growing wine since 1806 and the first to produce wine in the Swartland, a founder member of the Swartland Wine Route in 1986.
These days, the Swartland has a diversity of producers — from the niche wineries, some with purchases by allocation-only at eye-watering prices, to larger producers such as the family-owned Leeuwenkuil and the co-op Swartland Winery.
Both the latter produce entry-level and intriguing higher-end wines from grapes suited to the dryland conditions.
Forget the classic Bordeaux grapes of cabernet sauvignon and merlot; here the focus is on grapes that do well in drier conditions more similar to the dry Mediterranean climates of Spain, Portugal, Italy, or France’s Rhone region — the likes of chenin blanc, shiraz, cinsault, tinta barocca.
Leeuwenkuil focuses mostly on Chenin and Syrah, and does so really well.
Explore the upper levels of the Swartland Winery for interesting and well-priced limited releases of single varietal wines we are more used to finding in blends — Carignan, Mourvedre, Roussanne, Viognier — that offer a fascinating experience of tasting them solo.
Among the pioneers and the large-scale wineries, you’ll find well-known producers such as Allesverloren, Saronsberg and Kloovenburg (for the rugby fans, this is Peter-Steph du Toit’s family’s farm), in between Pulpit Rock, natural wine pioneers Testalonga and leading organic producer Org de Rac.
Porseleinberg’s grapes mostly go into The Chocolate Block but arguably more important is the farm’s single vineyard Porseleinberg Syrah that has become a world-renowned “cult wine”.
Similar status goes to Eben Sadie’s Columella and the Mullineux’s range of chenin blancs and syrahs named for the distinctive Swartland soils they’re grown in — Granite, Schist, Iron, Quartz and their “aching beautifully”, according to Platter’s, Olerasay Straw Wine.
The Swartland is a great idea for a wine road trip, to experience the unspoiled rugged beauty of endless views between mountains, big skies, golden wheatfields and the canary yellow of canola, green vineyards and silvery olive groves.
There’s wine, of course, plus olives from various farms in all forms from olive oil to preserved olives and beauty products, through to the art galleries and the magnificently restored Royal Hotel in Riebeek Kasteel or farm life in Moorreesburg.
Along the way, craft stores, delis and farmstalls feature local produce, landscapes that demand a stop just to enjoy the view and breathe in the fresh air, and plenty of outdoorsy exploring on foot or mountain bike.
On the way to the Riebeek Valley, where many of the wineries are concentrated, stop at Eight Feet Village, for spectacular views over mountains and valleys from their deck at the top of Bothmaskloof Pass, along with wine, coffee, olives, deli, gift shop and dining options from breakfast through to sundowner time.
To celebrate their 40th birthday and the diversity of their wines, the Swartland Wine and Olive Route has launched Swartland in a Box — a series of limited-edition, six-bottle cases from a mix of large and small producers, featuring diverse styles, some of the wines not available locally or only on allocation.
Two Swartland in a Box selections will be released every quarter, with the first two now available at https://swartlandwineandolives.co.za/swartland-in-a-box/.
The selection is diverse, from a jerepigo dessert wine to cultivars such as barbera and tinta barocca, from big names like David & Nadia and big producers like Leeuwenkuil through to tiny family farms.
The Herald