Best Wines from the Paarl
Valley - Cape Town by Bronwen E. Roberts
Paarl is situated just over
fifty km from Cape Town and the superb wines are so popular that Paarl
Tourism is booming with international and local wine lovers. The vineyards
of Paarl are distributed across three main types of soil. In the area along
the Berg River they are grown in sandy soils of Table Mountain sandstone
origin - while in the town of Paarl and the surrounding lands they are
planted on granitic soils. The third soil type is of Malmesbury shale origin
and the vineyards planted in the north-east grow mainly in this kind of
soil.
 Simonsvlei
wine estate
Set against the foothills
of the magnificent Simonsberg Mountains, this estate has been honoured
at the highest levels for the quality of their wines. The Paarl area is
renowned for its high quality Shiraz wines and even though Simonsvlei focus
on a combination of terroir and grape varietals, they have the added bonus
that Paarl's terroir is perfectly suited to Shiraz production. They plant
their Shiraz on the eastern slopes of the valley in order to promote optimum
photosynthetic activity. This activity is the determining factor in the
accumulation of sugars and flavour components. Aromas inherent to Paarl
Shiraz are spicy; resembling cloves, green peppers, smokiness and rich
ripe plums. This grape is also known as Syrah. It makes a soft and rich
wine often characterized by smoky and chocolaty aromas. It matures faster
than cabernet and is sometimes blended with it to speed accessibility.
Pinotage-the unique South
African grape
On an almost equal footing
to Shiraz regarding the production is Pinotage; the only true South African
grape varietal. In the cooler parts of the valley the grapes tend to have
more floral flavours, whilst the Pinotage planted in the warmer areas bear
more berry or plum aromas. It is a unique South African grape made from
a cross of pinot noir and cinsaut. It is hardy in the vineyard and generally
produces a wine that is full bodied with good fruit flavours and a distinctive
spiciness. It is often referred to as possessing a "sweetish acetone" flavour.
Previously thought to be early maturing, it is now believed that Pinotage
benefits from extended maturation.
Award-winning wines
Simonsvlei was established
in 1945 on the initiative of a group of leading grape farmers. They were
determined to provide the area's farmers with the facilities and expertise
to produce quality wines. This vision has been fulfilled and quality, affordable
wines have become characteristic of Simonsvlei who now export wine to a
wide range of countries, amongst which Germany, Sweden and Denmark are
the biggest. Simonsvlei was the first regional cellar to be crowned with
Superior awards for red (1973 Cabernet Sauvignon) and sweet wine. More
recently the Hercules Paragon range earned double gold, and gold at Veritas
and Michelangelo's as well as Silver at the International Wine Challenge.
 De
Zoete Inval-family wine estate
Another wine estate in the
Paarl region that has superb credentials is De Zoete Inval; a shining example
of the Boland's traditional family estate. The Frater family has been making
wine here for more than 115 years. Today, the fifth generation on the estate
continues to produce fine wines of singular character - an art developed
through 3 centuries.
Here tradition sets the pace
with the tasting room being managed exclusively by a family who offer personal
attention, opinions and advice, and good value for money; especially when
it comes to well aged Cabernets. De Zoete Inval was originally granted
by Simon van der Stel in 1688. Robert Frater arrived here in 1878 to find
the original cellar (which today houses the tasting room) and vineyards
in production on the farm. For many years, Port was made here for KWV.
One of the farms' highlights was winning the General Smuts trophy for the
grand champion wine of the South African Wine Show in 1955. Cabernet Sauvignon
was planted on quite a big scale and with some pre-1920 vineyards, dry
red wines have been produced on De Zoete Inval. More Chardonnay has been
planted and some interesting white wines are now made which last five to
six years. New planting of Shiraz, Merlot and Petit Verdot were planted
in August 2001.
Cabernet Sauvignon - A
South African specialty
Wine Recommendations include
the medium-bodied Shiraz, Maiden release of De Zoete Inval Estate's second
label, Eskdale. This medium-bodied juicy red has upfront cherry and raspberry
flavours, followed through by hints of spice and vanilla, ending with a
racy finish. The Cabernet Sauvignon 1980 is an Old Clone Cabernet Sauvignon
fermented dry in open fermenters - matured and bottled with old-style earth/tobacco
whiffs, dry sweet and sour tannins with a menthol-like finish. Most of
the great red wines of Bordeaux and some of the finest wines of the New
World are based on Cabernet Sauvignon. It is often blended with Cabernet
Franc and Merlot and its flavour is reminiscent of blackcurrants or cedarwood.
It demands aging in small oak barrels, and the best wines require several
years of bottle age to reach their peak.
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