Under the Influence of the Land

In the Under the Influence course material this month we are investigating the influence of regionality in South Africa by comparing two wines; one from Helshoogte and the other from Elgin. The Camberley Shiraz and the Iona Shiraz have two very different addresses and we investigate how the terroir of these two renowned wine making pockets influence flavour and character in the wines that they produce.

South Africa is blessed with varying terroir within a relatively small area. I.e. in one day you can experience vast differences in temperature, soils and subsequently wine flavour. On a recent wine tour from Eben Sadie to Waterford and then Hamilton Russell we experienced this vividly. At Waterford even the calm and collected Kevin Arnold had a bead of sweat on his brow and there was not a cloud in the sky. The soils on the farm varied from Table Mountain sandstone to red koffieklip.

As we drove over Sir Lowry's Pass and over to Hermanus the clouds gathered and rain began to fall. The soil on Hamilton Russell was characterised by a thin top layer of quartz and other minerals with a subsoil of clay. This contributes to the marginality of the site and the subsequent character of the wines. So, within a space of 60km we experienced vast differences in soil, climate and aspect. How does this influence flavour? Well, ask one of our wine ensemble members at the end of this month!