Why the best South African wines only show their true colours after years
When thinking of young wine countries, patience is rarely the first thing that comes to mind. South Africa is often seen as the origin of fresh, fruit-driven wines best consumed within a few years. But this image is outdated, and proof of this has already been in some cellars for sixteen years: the Constantia Glen Five 2010. Anyone who leaves a South African wine for ten, fifteen or even twenty years often discovers a completely different drink than it was on the day of bottling.
What really happens in the glass
Aging is not decay, but a slow transformation. The tannins of a young red wine, those grippy, sometimes angular structures, become softer and rounder over the years. The powerful primary fruit that a young Cabernet or Bordeaux blend brings recedes and makes way for secondary and tertiary aromas such as leather, tobacco and earthy notes. The acidity hardly changes in quantity, but is perceived differently through the interaction with the alcohol, becoming more integrated and less sharp overall. South African red wines of the modern era usually reach their peak maturity after around ten years and then remain on a plateau of excellent drinkability for some time.
Not every bottle is suitable
Aging potential is not just a question of age, but of structure. Cabernet Sauvignon wines and Bordeaux blends tend to require more patience than, say, Pinot Noir, while Merlot and Pinotage fall somewhere in between. Among white wines, it is primarily well-made Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc that improve over the years. Old Chenin Blanc vines from Swartland and Stellenbosch develop notes of honey, beeswax and lanolin in their best expressions and can, depending on the producer and vintage, age for ten to twenty years. What connects these wines is not their origin, but a robust structure of tannin, acidity or both, which provides enough substance for the journey.
The proof from Constantia
No South African wine illustrates this better than the Constantia Glen Five 2010. The blend of five classic Bordeaux grape varieties, which gives the wine its name, comes from the winery of the same name in Constantia, South Africa's oldest wine-growing region, where cool Atlantic breezes lend the grapes a freshness rarely found in South African red wines. The 2010 vintage is a blend of 26 percent Cabernet Sauvignon, 26 percent Petit Verdot, 20 percent Merlot, 16 percent Cabernet Franc and the rest Malbec, fully aged in new French oak. The critic Robert Parker rated the wine 91 points shortly after its release, describing it as softer and more complex than the previous vintage, with fine forest floor notes from the Cabernet Sauvignon and a harmonious finish of cedar and blackberry. He noted at the time that the wine would benefit from some cellar time, and sixteen years later, it is clear how right he was. A vintage like this is now one of the Buy Buy Rarities in the KAPWEINE assortment.
Your own cellar
If you want to start aging wines yourself, you don't need an underground vaulted cellar. What's crucial is a constant temperature between 12 and 14 degrees Celsius; larger fluctuations harm a wine more than a slightly warmer but stable environment. Humidity should be between 60 and 70 percent; this keeps the cork supple and prevents air from entering through a dried-out seal. Bottles with corks should be stored horizontally, and a dark location protects against UV light, which can damage sensitive ingredients. A quiet cellar room, a cupboard in a cool niche, or a wine climate cabinet usually meet these conditions just as well as a professional wine cellar.
Patience pays off. Anyone who puts aside a structured Chenin Blanc from Swartland today will, in a few years, open a wine that has little in common with a young one, apart from its origin. In the KAPWEINE collection Aged Wines, you will find wines that have already gone down this path or are just beginning to.
