Guide to South African Wine: 10 Incredible Bottles To Buy In 2024, Styles, Regions

by Elaine Lau

South Africa boasts picturesque wine-growing regions and incredible, high-quality wines.

Although categorized as a “New World” wine country, the South African wine industry has been producing extraordinary wines since the 17th century.

It is probably best known for Pinotage - a grape that produces juicy and fruity flavored wines. It also grows other grape varieties like Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc.

In this article, we’ll cover the different South African wine styles, the 10 best bottles to buy now, the wines’ investment-worthiness, grape varieties used, and the famous wine-growing regions.

South African Wine Styles

Here are the three prominent wine styles in South Africa:

A. Cape Port-Style And Other Fortified Wines

The country’s wine industry is globally known for producing fortified wines called Cape Port. These wines are produced using Shiraz, Pinotage, and traces of Portuguese wine grapes.

The fortified Cape Port wine styles include:

Cape White Port: These wines can be made from any white grape except Muscat. They’re aged in wood barrels for about 6 months.
Cape Ruby Port: These wines are created from a blend of full-bodied wines and are aged for about a year in wood.
Cape Vintage Port: These wines are crafted from grapes harvested in a single vintage and are aged in wood.
Cape Late Bottled Vintage (LBV) Port: These wines are made from grapes harvested in a single vintage and are aged 5-8 years.
Cape Vintage Reserve Port: These wines are produced in exceptional vintage years and are aged for a year in oak.
Cape Tawny Port: These wines are aged in wood long enough to acquire a tawny color and a nutty flavor.

Other South African fortified wines include Sherry, Jerepigo, and Hanepoot.

B. Dessert Wines

South Africa produces late harvest dessert wines like Edel Laat-Oes and Spesiale Laat-Oes “special late harvest.” These wines have 30+ g residual sugar and are made from grapes affected by noble rot (Botrytis).

C. Sparkling Wines

South Africa also produces sparkling wine options using either the Charmat or traditional method (Methode Cap Classique).

Famous South African sparkling wines include Cap Classique and Agrafe.

10 Delicious South African Wines to Buy in 2024(Including Wine Tasting Notes)

Here are the top South African wines you should try:

1993 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine
2009 Delaire Graff Estate Laurence Graff Reserve
2015 Tokara 'Telos'
2012 De Toren The Black Lion Shiraz
2014 Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage
2017 De Toren Expression Unique Book XVII Red
2019 The Sadie Family Die Ouwingerdreeks 'Mev. Kirsten' Chenin Blanc
2014 The Sadie Family Die Ouwingerdreeks 'Skurfberg' White
2012 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah
2010 Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block

1. 1993 Klein Constantia Vin de Constance Natural Sweet Wine ($708)

A bright, sweet wine with fruity complexity and herb, raisin, and butterscotch notes.

2. 2009 Delaire Graff Estate Laurence Graff Reserve ($450)

A delicious, well-balanced wine with smooth tannins and red fruit flavors with black currant and plum notes.

3. 2015 Tokara 'Telos' ($389)

A delicious South African red wine with floral and earthy notes, good acidity, moderate tannins, and a long finish.

4. 2012 De Toren The Black Lion Shiraz ($379)

Any wine enthusiast will admire this full-bodied wine for its medium acidity, young tannins, and intense black fruit aromas.

5. 2014 Kanonkop Black Label Pinotage ($263)

This great wine from the Western Cape boasts a velvety-textured palate, ample acidity, and a vibrant blackberry flavor with licorice and earthy notes.

6. 2017 De Toren Expression Unique Book XVII Red ($261)

This bold wine shines with wood, spice, sweet oak, cassis, and blackberry notes - a delicious treat for any fine wine lover.

7. 2019 The Sadie Family Die Ouwingerdreeks 'Mev. Kirsten' Chenin Blanc ($150)

A South African white wine with great minerality, crisp acidity, and a citrus fruit flavour with papaya and apricot notes.

8. 2014 The Sadie Family Die Ouwingerdreeks 'Skurfberg' White ($100)

An expressive South African white wine with ample acidity, floral aromas, and a stone fruit flavor with beeswax and honey notes.

9. 2012 Boekenhoutskloof Syrah ($76)

A dry red wine with fruity and earthy notes, crisp minerality, soft tannins, and a dry mouthfeel.

10. 2010 Boekenhoutskloof The Chocolate Block ($49)

A complex wine with good acidity, a tropical fruit flavor, and intense coffee and chocolate aromas.

Is South African Wine Investment-Worthy?

The best South African wines, like the Cape Vintage Reserves, carry incredible investment potential. You can cellar these bottles for up to 20 years!

These wines also show a stable price appreciation. The 2015 Kanonkop Paul Sauer’s price grew from $67 to $352 - a 400% jump between 2019 and 2020.

South African wines also command high prices at popular wine auctions. For example, A 6-bottle lot of the 2015 Kanonkop Paul Sauer was sold for $1,614 at the 34th Nedbank Cape Winemakers Guild Auction in 2018.

If you’d like to invest in these wines and other fine bottles, opt for a reliable wine investment company, like Vinovest, that’ll help you easily buy, store, and sell authentic wines.

Let’s get into more details about the region’s wines.

The Grapes Used For Producing South African Wine

South Africa comprises diverse landscapes and climates - allowing it to grow different red and white grapes.

Here are the main grapes grown in South Africa:

A. Red Varieties

The main South African red grape varieties include:

Pinotage: Pinotage is South Africa’s flagship grape variety. It’s a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault, and is famous for producing red blends with dark, ripe fruit flavors.
Cabernet Sauvignon: The Cabernet Sauvignon grape is one of South Africa’s widely planted red varieties. It produces age-worthy, spicy, and full-bodied wines.
Shiraz:South Africa uses the Shiraz grape to produce deep purple, age-worthy, and smoky wines.

Other South African red varieties include Merlot, Petit Verdot, and Pinot Noir.

B. White Varieties

Here are South Africa’s main white grape varieties:

Chenin Blanc: The Chenin Blanc grape is planted widely in South Africa’s Western Cape province. This grape’s high acidity is suited for making sparkling, dessert, and dry wines.
Sauvignon Blanc:Sauvignon Blanc is South Africa’s second most widely planted white grape. It produces remarkable wines with incredible freshness, white flower aromas, and chalky minerality.
Colombard: South Africa is one of the top producers of the Colombard French grape variety. Colombard is a perfect blending grape that produces semi-dry wines with a light body and gentle acidity.

Other white varieties from this wine country include Riesling, Chardonnay, and Semillon.

Famous South African Wine Regions

South Africa’s wine regions are spread over the Western Cape and Northern Cape provinces - covering more than 800 km of land.

The well-known South African wine regions include:

A. Constantia

Constantia’s Table Mountain sandstone soil and cooling sea breeze are suitable for growing Sauvignon Blanc and the Riesling vine.

B. Stellenbosch

This famous South African wine region is within the Cape Winelands in the Western Cape. It’s well-known for its impeccable red wine production.

C. Paarl

The vineyard sites in this wine region have a warm climate and are suited for growing Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, and Chardonnay.

D. Swartland

Wine producers from this hot and dry wine region craft high-quality Shiraz, Chenin Blanc, and Rhone-inspired blends.

E. Cape South Coast

The Cape South Coast region is young to winemaking. The cool climate in this area is suited for growing Pinot Noir, Chardonnay, and Sauvignon Blanc.

F. Walker Bay

The estates from this cool region, like the Hamilton Russell winery, are famous for producing world-class wines using Chardonnay and Pinot Noir wine grapes.

Add A Crisp South African Wine To Your Collection Now

Whether you want to enjoy a classic Sauvignon Blanc or a crisp wine from the Bouchard Finlayson winery, South Africa has something for you!

And, if you want to invest in a great wine from South Africa or anywhere else, head to the Vinovest website! You’ll discover an easy way to buy, store, and sell investment-worthy wines from across the globe.