South Africa

The Cape isn't one wine region. It's a tangle of valleys, mountain ranges and ocean influences squeezed into the bottom corner of the continent. Atlantic cold fronts on one side. Indian Ocean warmth on the other. Soils change every few kilometres. Cool-climate Pinot Noir sits a couple of hours from Cabernet country.

South African wine restarted in 1994. The end of apartheid reopened export markets that had been closed for decades. A new generation of winemakers took the opening. Thirty years on, the Cape is making the most interesting wine in its history. The Reserve Cellar's South African range comes from the producers behind that shift.

What wine is South Africa famous for?

Pinotage and Chenin Blanc. In that order of fame. Pinotage was created in 1925 at Stellenbosch University. Abraham Perold crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsault. The result suited South African conditions. Nobody else grows it seriously. Chenin Blanc arrived in the 1650s with the first Dutch settlers. It now covers more vineyard than any other white grape in the country. Beyond those two, the Cape makes serious Bordeaux-style reds, old-vine Chenin, and cool-climate Pinot.

What does Pinotage taste like?

Dark fruit. Smoke. Sweet spice. A savoury edge closer to Shiraz than Pinot Noir. The best examples are full-bodied and built to age. Kanonkop and Beyerskloof, both Stellenbosch wine estates, set the standard. The old reputation for ‘burnt rubber’ traces back to bad 1970s and 80s winemaking on poor sites, and the current generation has long since moved past it. Modern Pinotage from the right hands is one of the most rewarding reds coming out of the southern hemisphere.

What is the best wine region in South Africa?

Stellenbosch wine sets the benchmark. The country's most decorated region. East of Cape Town. Home to Kanonkop, Meerlust, Thelema. The reputation is built on Cabernet and Bordeaux-style blends. Swartland is the newer story. Eben Sadie and the Mullineux family lead from there. Rhône-style reds. Old-vine Chenin Blanc. For cool-climate Pinot Noir and Chardonnay, look to Hemel-en-Aarde near the coast. Critics compare those bottles to Burgundy.

South Africa is one of the most rewarding wine countries on earth right now, and the Reserve Cellar's collection is where to start. Feel Transported.