Wineblog

An article by guest writer, WineLand’s Elona Nel

With Chardonnay being the greatest non-aromatic white wine grape in the world, according to The Sotheby’s Wine Encyclopedia, and styles ranging from lightly sparkling to heavily wooded, it is no wonder that we have put the consumers in the dark.

The phenomenon of the ABC-club (anything but Chardonnay), which started as a response to overly oaked, over aged, buttery Chardonnays of inferior quality served by the glass in London pubs about a decade ago, has since been proved wrong – but plenty of consumers still steer clear of this noble grape.

The average wine drinker in mind and with the recent boom of wood-infused Pinotage wines, aka Bertus-Starbucks-Fourie, it is clear that wood can be a valuable tool when it comes to pleasing your buyer. But this being said, your average wine drinker usually prefers an accessible wine with fruit driven, balanced flavours. However, with the cries of the ABC-club members in the background, most South African producers follow the oaky road for Chardonnay.

Wine in wood or wood in wine? There is a growing trend towards less wooded and unwooded Chardonnay.

With wine shows and competitions being held almost every second week of the year, it has also become clear that the wine ‘fundi’ prefers a fuller bodied, usually oaked Chardonnay. Just take the 2010 edition of the Platter’s guide for example. Wooded Chardonnays scored three 5 stars, thirty 4½ stars and a whopping seventy nine 4 stars, while unwooded Chardonnays only earned nine 4 stars. Without getting into too much detail, it is clear that, even though fewer unwooded Chardonnays are being produced, the barrelled versions are usually rated better than their more fruit driven, and sometimes more interesting, counterparts.

Similarly, at the recent Chardonnay du Monde, it seems that the world is abiding the unwooded Chardonnay trend, with only 35 of the 65 gold medallists throughout the world being wooded, while South Africa had 11 wooded wines in total out of the 15 that received medals.

Some South African producers have, however, jumped on the bandwagon going down the road less travelled, by making an unwooded Chardonnay. And with production costs being sliced by taking out the French-factor, the equally high in quality, unwooded wines are flying off the shelves and out of the cellar. Even though wooded Chardonnays have a very big role to play in the industry and are often of notable quality, isn’t it time that more also wander down that path and listen to the consumer more attentively?

On the other side of the wine rack stands the ever-green, ever-popular Sauvignon Blanc. This Bordeaux variety has taken the world by storm and the dutiful consumers have followed suit. Usually unwooded, this version of the cultivar reaped four 5 stars, thirty eight 4½ stars and ninety nine 4 stars in the 2010 Platter’s guide. Being a clear favourite of ‘fundis’ and ‘followers’ alike, a misconception have however occurred where consumers only want the youngest vintages available. As soon as the bulk of the 2010 Sauvignon’s hit the shelves, most ordinary wine drinkers will skip over the ‘09s and rather get a ‘fresh and zesty’ one.

 At the recent Constantia Fresh Sauvignon Blanc festival held at Buitenverwachting, producers took the opportunity to showcase some of their best older and well-kept vintages, ranging as far back as 2001. A good quality Sauvignon kept at the right conditions, will overpower many of the 2010 newcomers with the elegance, complexity and depth of flavour that only develop with age. Whether it is from a windswept area in Elgin or on a south facing slope in Stellenbosch, good quality grapes and a knowledgeable winemaker can pair up to make Sauvignons best kept back a couple of years.

Although this subject has become a ‘silent’ buzzword in wine circles, the average consumer buying his wine to drink tonight is unaware of this well hidden secret that prevents the heartburn. Well known winemakers and especially Sauvignon producers also recommend laying the wines down for a year or more, so that the softer, rounder side of the wine can be experienced. When Miles Mossop from Tokara recently raved about a 2001 Iona Sauvignon Blanc, I realised that this is not just all talk.

With Sauvignon-loving consumers usually preferring a fresh, crisp wine, but without the sometimes cruel and harsh acidity that accompanies a lot of the more ‘affordable’ bottles, should they not rather stick to an unwooded Chardonnay, with less overpowering acidy at a similar price point? Just so, with a Chardonnay-fan who prefers something more complex and in-depth but just can’t get past the oakiness that sometimes interferes, should they not try their luck at an elderly, well-rounded Sauvignon Blanc?