South African cool

Wine

Johann Gramp, who planted his first vines at Jacob's Creek in 1847, would have raised an eyebrow at the legacy left by his little site in the Barossa Valley in south Australia. Thanks to consistency and value since its launch in 1986 by Orlando, Jacob's Creek is the only New World brand, Gallo apart, to have become a household name. As the Fosters of the vineyard, it has introduced newcomers to Australian wine - though the palate soon craves for something with a bit more to it.

You might think that South Africa would have cottoned on to the Jacob's Creek idea and dreamt up a Nelson's Reach or something similar. Some might say they already have - in KWV, the umbrella cooperative for South Africa's growers - but, much as it tries to put the past behind it, the name is still linked with the bad old days of apartheid. Nor does the product quite have the generosity of flavour of the Australian giant's.

The man who stepped into the breach was none other than Robin Day, head of Australia's Orlando Wyndham group and creator of Jacob's Creek. In 1994 he began work with eight South African co-operatives to produce six pounds 3.99 wines based on popular grape varieties. The Long Mountain range, in classic Aussie blending style, is the result of piecing together a jigsaw of warm- and cooler-climate vineyards. The addition of cool-climate fruit brings some vibrancy to the wine.

"Cool-climate", the southern hemisphere's Holy Grail, is a relative term in the heat and dust of South Africa. Most of South Africa's wine grapes come from the hot inland regions of Worcester, Malmesbury, Olifants River, Orange River and Robertson. Add in Paarl, which is decidedly warm, and that's 80 per cent of production. The only major wine region with some shelter from the heat is scenic Stellenbosch (considered cool in South Africa). Even Stellenbosch is roughly on a par with Australia's Barossa Valley (thought warm in Australia).

Cool vineyards are of course at a premium. Producers in three up-and- coming areas in particular, Constantia, Elgin and Walker Bay, are carving out a niche for a modern, elegant style of white based on the sauvignon blanc and chardonnay grapes. In Constantia, the cool-climate treatment extends to cabernet sauvignon and shiraz; the Walker Bay/Elgin area is well suited to aromatic whites, red burgundy styles based on pinot noir, and the indigenous pinotage.

As Tim Hamilton Russell, the pioneer of Walker Bay, points out, no South African wine region falls within the coolest of the five regions on the Winkler Scale, which is based on average temperatures during the growing season. "According to Winkler, there is no Beaune, no Bordeaux, no Coonawarra and no Oregon in the new South Africa," says Hamilton Russell. Nevertheless, Constantia, Elgin and Walker Bay all benefit from maritime influences: cooling breezes and humidity allow even ripening and the best expression of the grape's aromas and flavours.

Constantia, home of the Cape Dutch gable, has a reputation based on its 18th-century sweet, muscat-based wine. The higher vineyard slopes, cooled by Atlantic breezes from False Bay, suit sauvignon blanc and chardonnay; lower sites are better adapted to cabernet sauvignon. At a recent tasting, Klein Constantia and Buitenverwachting knocked spots off their historic neighbour, Groot Constantia, with intensity of fruit flavour in both whites and reds. Steenberg, new to the scene, showed a stunningly aromatic, piercingly fruity 1995 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc.

In contrast to the tourist pathways of Constantia, the remote apple orchards of Elgin and the whale haven of Walker Bay are pioneering outposts. For long, Tim Hamilton Russell and his son Anthony ploughed a lonely furrow at Hermanus in the Hemel-en-Aarde Valley. They have now been joined by six other producers. Bouchard Finlayson and Wildekrans are the most notable, the former for their stylish pinot noir, the latter for a natural lightness in most of their styles. Could the rugged Hemel- en-Aarde Valley be the heaven on earth the Dutch once prophesied for it?

South African choice

1995 Long Mountain Chenin Blanc pounds 3.99, Victoria Wine. Water-white with an aromatic, pear-like bouquet, this tropical, grapefruity chenin blanc/semillon blend is cleansingly zingy

1995 White Ridge Sauvignon Blanc pounds 4.29, Victoria Wine. From flying wine maker Kym Milne, this is refreshingly aromatic with well-rounded, varietal yet restrained gooseberry character

1995 Steenberg Sauvignon Blanc, Constantia pounds 84 a case, John Armit Wines, W11 (0171-727 6846). An intensely aromatic, grassy bouquet with mouth-wateringly crisp, pure, grapefruity zest and elegance

1995 Stellenzicht Chardonnay pounds 3.99, Waitrose. A cool-climate Stellenbosch chardonnay, hitting the spot with toasty, sweet oak, clarity of fruit flavour and crisp balancing acidity

1994 Long Mountain Cabernet Sauvignon pounds 3.99 Victoria Wine, Safeway. The palate is fresh and softly juicy, with mint and a whiff of blackcurrant fruit

1990 Klein Constantia Cabernet Sauvignon about pounds 7.49, Waitrose, Selfridges, Avery's of Bristol. Deep garnet and nicely mature. The spice and vanilla oak are tinged with a cool-climate, bell-pepper character and succulent blackcurrant fruit