The Chardonnay Association of South Africa was established August 2024 and officially launched at an event held at Jordan Wine Estate on the 27th of November 2024. Michael Fridjhon delivered the keynote speech (link here) which was followed by a walk around tasting of wines produced by 32 members of the Chardonnay Association members.
The Association evolved from the Chardonnay Forum, an informal grouping which has been meeting from time to time over the past 15 years, and whose primary function was to share knowledge, technology and network with fellow Chardonnay producers. The Chardonnay Association’s goal is to elevate South African Chardonnay locally and internationally, sharing marketing initiatives, collaborating with industry bodies and technical events.
The committee is chaired by Sjaak Nelson (Jordan Estate), with Johan Kruger (Kruger Family Wines) as vice chair and committee members Carolyn Martin (Creation), Thea van der Merwe (Journey’s End), Ann Ferreira (Pieter Ferreira Wines) The Association is managed by Andre Morgenthal, formerly Communications Manager at Wines of South Africa and who more recently established the Old Vine Project, concluding his tenure there February 2024.
Chardonnay arrived in South Africa in the 1980s under interesting circumstances, with stories of Jan Boland Coetzee and Danie de Wet smuggling cuttings in from Burgundy. Despite its inauspicious beginnings, says Paul Clüver Snr. Chardonnay is the chosen one: it was not an arranged marriage.
Chardonnay in South Africa has experienced significant growth and acclaim in recent years, positioning itself as one of the country’s leading white wine varieties. Here are some highlights of Chardonnay in South Africa:
- Rising Popularity: Winemakers have increasingly focused on producing high-quality Chardonnay wines that showcase the diversity of terroir and winemaking styles across different regions, from cooler coastal areas to warmer inland vineyards. As a result, South African Chardonnay has garnered attention both domestically and especially internationally, with growing demand from consumers seeking elegant, complex, and expressive white wines.
- Quality and Diversity: South African Chardonnay is known for versatility and ability to express a wide range of flavours and styles. Cool climate regions such as the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley and Elgin produce Chardonnays with crisp acidity, vibrant fruit flavours, and minerality, along with regions like Stellenbosch, West Coast and Robertson.
“We have such diverse sites in South Africa, offering us the opportunity to produce a variety of Chardonnay styles. Ancient soils, our vibrant spirit and the versatile nature of Chardonnay offers us this. Simply follow your taste and choose your wine.” – Sjaak Nelson, Chardonnay Association Chair.
- International Recognition: South African Chardonnay has earned accolades and awards on the global stage, competing with renowned Chardonnay-producing regions such as Burgundy, California, and Australia. Several wineries have received critical acclaim for their premium Chardonnay offerings, showcasing the country’s ability to produce world-class wines that rival those from wine regions which have been cultivating it for significantly longer than South Africa.
- Innovation and Experimentation: South African winemakers are continuously innovating and experimenting with Chardonnay winemaking techniques, including barrel fermentation, lees contact, and malolactic fermentation, to enhance complexity and texture in the wines. Some producers are also exploring alternative approaches such as spontaneous fermentation, concrete egg and amphora ageing to create unique and distinctive Chardonnay expressions that better reflect the character of the vineyard and vintage. Viticulturally, technology transfer work is being done with the Gen-Z project: 5 Chardonnay demo projects have been established across regions to track the impact of changing climatic conditions on rootstock, clonal material and pruning methods on the quality and performance of Chardonnay production in South Africa.
- Value Proposition: South African Chardonnay offers excellent value and quality, often providing a compelling alternative to higher-priced Chardonnays from other regions.
- Vital Statistics:
Exports
November 22 – October 23 9,4 Mill L bottled, bulk 15,8 Mill L
November 23 – October 24 9,7 Mill bottled, bulk 14,9 Mill L
Chardonnay 13,61% of white wines
Plantings
DISTRICT Total
ROBERTSON 1710
STELLENBOSCH 977
BREEDEKLOOF 819
PAARL 585
SWARTLAND 566
WORCESTER 435
WELLINGTON 325
FRANSCHHOEK 178
CAPE TOWN 167
NONE 148
WALKER BAY 130
ELGIN 129
DARLING 96
TULBAGH 72
OVERBERG 66
LUTZVILLE VALLEY 62
CENTRAL ORANGE RIVER 15
CITRUSDAL MOUNTAIN 15
PLETTENBERG BAY 14
CALITZDORP 9
CERES PLATEAU 8
SWELLENDAM 7
CAPE AGULHAS 5
CITRUSDAL VALLEY 4
LOWER DUIVENHOKS 3
LANGEBERG-GARCIA 1
SUTHERLAND-KAROO 1
CENTRAL DRAKENSBERG 1
LIONS RIVER 0
Grand Total 6547
“At its best, South African Chardonnay has an electric brightness, fantastic minerality, and sometimes what felt like a wonderful sea-borne freshness that I found positively thrilling. These wines, while they might not manage to express quite as much mineral depth as the white Burgundies in this particular tasting (which proved relatively easy to spot in this exercise), they certainly stood shoulder-to-shoulder with them in overall quality. In some cases, they clearly outshone some of the global reference bottlings, many of which were two to five times more expensive.” – Alder Yarrow www.vinography.com
Overall, Chardonnay in South Africa is on a trajectory of growth and success, driven by its quality and diversity. As consumers continue to discover and appreciate the country’s distinctive Chardonnay offerings, South Africa is poised to further establish itself as a leading producer of world-class white wines.
The days of ABC (Anything But Chardonnay) are over. It is now Absolutely Brilliant Chardonnay – Carolyn Martin.
