Swartland Independent Street Party

 The Swartland Independent Street Party, 25/04/2015


The Swartland Independent is a group of growers and winemakers in the Swartland region of the Western Cape. They aim to make wine that is a "true expression of their origin - of the broad landscape of the Swartland. Wines that, though coming from different cellars and sometimes different areas, will all speak of the greater landscape - wines that will, in a sense, bear the DNA of the region." 
http://www.swartlandindependent.co.za/home/

It's also where many of my favourite wines in the world come from. In order to qualify as a member of the Independent, producers must satisfy a number of requirements:

1. An Independent wine must be grown entirely in the Swartland.
2. It must also be vinified, matured and bottled in the Swartland.
3. An Independent producer will bottle at least 80% of his wine production under his own labels.
4. Wines carrying the SI logo must be naturally produced and have minimal intervention in the cellar. This means the wine:
   • has no inoculated yeast, or added yeast supplement
   • will not be acidified
   • has no added tannin
   • will not be chemically fined
   • will not undergo any technological process (reverse osmosis) which will alter the constitution of the wine
5. A Swartland Independent wine must consist of a minimum of 90% of the following varieties:
   • Red wine: Syrah/shiraz, Mourvèdre, Grenache Noir, Carignan, Cinsaut, Tinta Barocca, Pinotage
   • White wine: Chenin Blanc, Grenache Blanc, Marsanne, Roussanne, Viognier, Clairette Blanche, Palomino, Semillon
6. Because heavy oaking can “mask” the essence of the grape, no Swartland Independent wine may be aged with more than 25% kept in new wood as a component. All wood needs to be of European origin.
7. All wines of the Independent must be bottled in a “Burgundy shape” bottles.

see http://www.swartlandindependent.co.za/values/ for more information. 

For me, these regulations mean that the wines produced are not only of seriously good quality, but also wines that are alive. They evolve in the glass and change with every taste, they are unique and demonstrate real personality, they are fun to drink and are a far cry from the processed bulk wines found on most supermarket shelves. 

For the Street Party, approximately 400 enthusiasts converged to taste the producers showing their wines in Riebeek Kasteel, there was a festival atmosphere with the pourers merging with the drinkers, live music and a gin bar for when we needed a palate cleanser. 

Riebeek Kasteel teeming with tasters

Some hay bales to sit and take a break 

Nothing quite like a G&T for refreshment after a long day of tasting

We picked up our glasses (included in the entry price of R200) and set about tasting. There were far too many wines on show to document them all, but I'll list a few of my favourites at the bottom. I was delighted to see that Callie Louw, viticulturist and wine maker at Porseleinberg had brought his 'Southern Smoke' along, a Texan-styled slow meat smoker that makes some of the most flavoursome meat I've tasted. So for lunch there was pulled pork and beef brisket rolls, washed down with Porseleinberg Syrah, one of the best wines to come out of South Africa, and at one of the highest price points too (approximately £65-70 per bottle in the UK).

Southern Smoke

Beef Brisket Roll

A winning combination: beef brisket and world class Syrah from Porseleinberg

No trip to the Swartland is complete without a glass of Adi Baadenhorst's 'Caperitif'. A joyous drink that was once lost in time, it has been rediscovered and revitalised under Adi's careful guidance. A wine based spirit, much like vermouth, it has a bitterness created by Quinchona bark and is flavoured by no less than 35 botanicals, including Fynbos, Kalmoes and Naartjies. Delicious served with ice and tonic on a hot day, it proved to be the perfect invigoration when I was tiring in the early afternoon.

Caperitif in bottle

Caperitif and tonic in the Swartland Independent Glass

The Caperitif stand providing refreshment to weary partygoers

The drinks continued to flow and the tastings pressed on well into the late afternoon. As the sun was setting over the mountainous back drop and the last drips were drained from every bottle, it was time to head to Mama Cucina for some of the best pizzas in the Swartland to reflect on a day that I was sad had to end.

One of the attendees taking a well earned nap

Below is a quick account of some of my stand-out wines from the day:

Chevallerie

The only sparkling wines on display at the tasting. Christa, the owner/manager/winemaker makes two delicious wines. Firstly, her Circa 'Rosseco'. A play on Prosecco, the wine is a bubbly rosé made from 12 year old Pinotage bush vines. A fresh and fun drink, the perfect aperitif wine.
She also makes a Cap Classique 'Filia'. Gorgeous baked bread and brioche aromas create a complexity that complements the fine mousse and vivid green apple and pear flavours. Mouth-watering and moreish.

Sequillo Cellars

Eben Sadie's wines get another makeover with their new release, a sneak preview of the beautiful new labels below. Unfortunately a red wine spillage has sullied my notes, but you don't need me to tell you how great these wines are, the world and his wife will do that.

Stormborn

A completely new producer for me, Konrad Raubenheimer is an IT specialist who makes wine in his free time. He was showing two wines:

Firstborn- A Chenin Blanc from granitic soils in the Paardeberg. It had a month on skins and 100% whole bunch press. The wine was cloudy in appearance, showing a deep tawny colour that resulted from its time on skins. The wine was alive with complex citrus and nutty flavours and finished with a lovely pithy grip. Well structured and so refreshing for a wine with extended skin contact.

Stormborn Firstborn

Die Stilte- 100% Grenache from red iron soils in Malmesbury. 100% whole bunch pressed. Pale ruby in colour, it was not dissimilar to a Pinot Noir in appearance. It was intensely perfumed on the nose, with elegant red fruits and dark, spicy herbs. Surprisingly refined and finessed, I really enjoyed tasting (drinking) this and went back for glass after glass.

Adi Baadenhorst 

Adi was showing a range of his wines, but one in particular stood out for me. He was pouring his 2011 'CH Raaigras' Grenache which is apparently an unreleased wine that is not for sale. Vibrant ruby with a purple tinge, the wine showed fresh plums and cherry on the nose, with a distinct flavour not dissimilar to Bakewell tart. It was a pretty wine with a lot of funkiness that was toned down by grippy, well integrated tannin.

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Special notes also go to Craig Hawkins and Carla Kretzel pouring their Testalonga range, Ryan Mostert and Sam Suddons, who were pouring their 'Silverweis' wines, Johan Meyer/Krige Vesser who were pouring their Mount Abora range and Jasper Wickens, with his Swerwer blends. Individual posts dedicated to all of these producers and their wines will be coming in the near future.

http://www.swartlandindependent.co.za/

@bobbyfishel