Voor Paardeberg: The Birth of a Revolution

Swartland Revolution

South Africa has recently captured international interest in its high-quality wines, largely thanks to the Swartland Revolution, a winemaking movement that took root about 20 years ago in the hot and dry Paardeberg. Indeed, Swartland icons like Adi Badenhorst and Eben Sadie recognized the region's potential on the Voor-Paardeberg. Two decades later, at the southern end of the mountain, this lesser-discussed community of Voor-Paardebergs (often dismissively labeled as “Swartland Lite”) is alive with some of the most exciting newcomers in South Africa. New wave winemakers literally line up to acquire both fruit and land.

As I browsed through the list of winemakers currently active in the region (Donovan Rall, Miles Mossop, Bernard Bredell, John Seccombe, Jacques de Klerk, Thinus Krüger, Pieter Walser, Tremayne Smith…), I began to wonder what it takes for a region to emerge from obscurity and transform itself into a "super cool" destination. Or, in the case of Voor-Paardeberg, what is required to shift its perception from “Swartland Lite” to “Next Big Trend.”

The Anatomy of a Wine Trend

Wine trends are like the word "Monopoly." The longer you fixate on them, the stranger they seem.

What I mean is this: For a wine trend to really take root, it requires two seemingly contradictory traits. (1) It needs a new form of attraction to overcome the establishment, (2) it should also possess old, traditional elements. Both components are necessary for it to truly succeed. If the trend lacks this old quality, it will be seen as a mere fad. Conversely, without a tangible change to the product, consumers have no new story to tell.

Here are just a few examples of what I’m talking about:

• The orange/amber wine wave - “new” wine styles based on 8,000-year-old Georgian techniques.
• The thriving romance of the global wine community with indigenous varieties, led by fresh-faced winemakers reclaiming antiquated and forgotten grape varietals.
• The still-growing movement towards natural wines, harking back to an age before technology or cellar additives, while simultaneously adopting a thoroughly “now” design aesthetic.
• Finally, at the southern tip of a continent known for jungles, deserts, racism, and poverty, the Swartland Revolution blended the ancient sites of Swartland and Paardeberg with fresh wine styles, allowing local producers to challenge the perceptions of South African wine at the time (big, fruity reds, pungent Pinotage, and cheap Chenin).

Reflecting on my old and modern thesis about what constitutes a wine trend, I began to question whether the growing list of Who's Who winemakers operating in the Voor-Paardeberg region might be a precursor to a much broader change in the standing of this humble area.

But Does Voor-Paardeberg Have What It Takes?

I was on my way to Vondeling Estate - one of the most established estates in Voor-Paardeberg - when I noticed the road to Voor-Paardeberg serves as a physical manifestation of recent perception shifts in the region.

From Cape Town, you travel north along the N7, snaking up the West Coast, slightly inland, and you miss out on idyllic ocean views. Instead, you pass unsightly oil refineries surrounded by barbed wire and interrupted by rusting watchtowers. These towers seem - like the political system from which they emerged - abandoned, yet they still play a central role in the region’s landscape. And then there are the impoverished townships and endless power lines. Furthermore, the terrain features vast, drab, brown grasslands that are not even dry enough to be beautiful in a desert sense. The romantic image of wild bush vines and barrel cellars could not be further away.

But as time passes, the scene softens. Exiting the godforsaken N7 onto the R304, the first signs of commercial agriculture appear. The drab grassland gives way to monotonous wheat fields, and despite all odds, some vineyards begin to emerge. Suddenly, there’s a dramatic shift in focus. Where one’s gaze couldn’t escape the flat, peculiar sea of wheat, you now confront distinct, jagged rock outcrops rising to your left, while (lo and behold) beautiful vineyards appear to your right. The combination of rugged rock and lush green vines transports you to a cinematic realm. You are now in wine country.

I stood on a veranda overlooking the vineyards of Vondeling Estate and watched the leaves rustle in the afternoon breeze.

"Ah, someone just turned on the air conditioning!" said a young man to my left. It was the viticulturist Jaco Engelbrecht, the founder of visual viticulture and consultant to Eben Sadie, Duncan Savage, Adi Badenhorst, Pieter Walsers BLANK Bottle, and Overgaauw Estate.

"Every afternoon, you can feel a cool breeze flowing in from Tafelbaai [south]," he continued. “The cool air pumps through the trough between Paarl Mountain and Paardeberg Mountain. It makes a big difference to the heat of the afternoon.”

"And what about the soils?" I secretly asked, hoping he wouldn’t start talking about decomposed granite, which seems to be the only soil type one can market South African wine upon.

"Well, of course, we have a lot of decomposed granite soils near the mountain…", he started, but then rescued my hopes by adding, "but that's not the whole story."

Jaco is like the Tafelbaai air conditioning, a breath of fresh air.

“Closer to the mountain, we have decomposed granite. Usually poorer soils. The vines struggle a bit, but yield higher acidity and freshness in return. However, as you move away from the mountain, you see more schist soils, which often produce thicker, fuller, and bigger wines. In my view, the best wines are a blend of fruit harvested from both soil types.”

But there are exceptions; the Chenin Blanc from old vines in my glass at that time was an exceptionally rich layered salt-chalk-wax affair from Henry Kotzees Pilgrim Wines, vinified from fruit sourced from decomposed sandstone and clay.

And What About the Fruit?

A glance at the wine selection on the lunch table offered everything from a generously crafted, oaked Ayama Vermentino (silky, sweet stone fruit and tart green apple, with waxy mouthfeel; dusted with white pepper and almonds) to Tremayne Smiths bright purple Black Smith Innervision Pinotage (a carbonic maceration wine that is intoxicatingly aromatic, fresher than a pair of Nike Space Hippies, and full of crunchy tannins). By the way, "bright purple" does not do its hue justice. I could best describe it as "pantone #f2117d"; a color that icolorpallete.com calls "Razzmatazz." The wines that displayed the most focus and craftsmanship, however, were almost always blends featuring Chenin Blanc often supported by Rhône varietals such as Roussanne and Viognier as well as Grenache Blanc, which has also seen a resurgence as a varietal wine lately.

But Why Now?

There is still the cynical theory that the recent popularity of Voor-Paardeberg is simply due to Swartland being over-purchased. Countless stories of eager winemakers lining up for fruit from Swartland municipalities like the ultra-trendy Piekernierskloof abound. They had to purchase fruit parcels they hadn’t even requested, just to gain access to a block of Grenache that they had their sights on. And this, of course, comes with rising grape prices and dwindling options. For young winemakers in this position, it makes perfect sense to seek alternatives. Voor-Paardeberg is a natural choice.

Twenty Years to Become an Overnight Success

However, a simple lack of options in a trendier region does not explain why some of the larger farms are not only sourcing grapes in Voor-Paardeberg but also making significant land investments. Regional giants like Bosman Family Vineyards recently acquired Sonopfarm, a valley full of speculation about the direction they will take. Fortunately, given the track record of winemaker Corlea Fourie (winemaker at Bosman) who produces some of the finest Grenache Blancs and Cinsaults in the country, as well as the deliberate decision by owner Petrus Bosman to work with the climate. Among comparable varieties like Nero d'Avola, their presence in Voor-Paardeberg appears to only add momentum to what is already happening.

What Exactly Is What?

As with the most exciting aspects of South African wine, Eben Sadie has been a part of the action. Now, Eben… and an uneasy trust in the often maleficent cooperatives. “In the late '90s and early 2000s, the community of Voor-Paardeberg consisted of a small group of family farms selling grapes to cooperatives like Boland Cellars or the Perdeberg Cooperative,” noted Matt Copeland, senior winemaker at Vondeling Estate. Boland and Perdeberg primarily serve the mass market, resulting in their demand for only the so-called international varieties (Cabernet Sauvignon, Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, etc.).

“But when Vondeling experienced a kind of rebirth, it was Eben Sadie who oversaw the plantings, clonal selections, and site choices. The reason we have such a diverse range of varieties at Vondeling today is due to what Eben accomplished at that time,” Copeland continued. Incidentally, Copeland’s favorite wine produced each year is Vondeling Babiana. It’s true that it is a Chenin-dominant blend supported by Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, and Viognier.

Despite all the cooperatives demanding “colonial” varieties, part of the current wealth of Voor-Paardeberg can be attributed to the resources and infrastructure of these institutions. “Everyone wants to blame the cooperative system and its focus on mass wine,” Engelbrecht noted, “but people like Boland Cellar and Perdeberg Cellar have taken some of their best fruit from this region for decades. They have also played a role in helping farmers replant new vineyards and preserve some old vines. People forget that! They forget that without the large cooperatives, South Africa would have almost no old wine blocks left! And when it comes to varieties, these were the ones who could afford to experiment with various clones and varieties. They could afford to fail, which gave them tremendous leeway. They are the ones to whom we owe the diversity we see today.”

And then there is the enigmatic farmer of the future; the now-man, Willie Mostert. After all, Mostert is an exceedingly cautious man who does not engage with journalists. His influence on the region, however, is no secret.

"Willie Mostert has been central to Voor-Paardeberg," Engelbrecht asserted.

“He is so open to new ideas. He began planting new varieties long before it was fashionable. Marsanne, Roussanne, Grenache Blanc, Verdelho, Grenache Noir, Grenache Gris; you name it, Willie has it. Recently, he also planted Alicante Bouschet. He understands the wine business and that he is not just growing grapes; he is growing wine. His entire ethos has captivated and attracted many winemakers, and once they taste the Voor-Paardeberg fruit, they are hooked! It was his work that paved the way for other farmers to become serious grape producers. Recently, people like André du Toit from Pakhuisdam have done the same. Again, he’s a rare breed. Another farmer who loves wine!

The scarcity of true vignerons (real vignerons!) seems troubling to me, but when I pressed Engelbrecht further on the issue, he insisted this was a topic for another day.

As I drove home, I contemplated that my “old and modern” theory was entirely wrong. But don’t worry; I have a replacement theory:

Wine purists insist on wines that communicate place and time (vintage) but never seem to bend so deeply as to connect with the human element. Yet in many of the great wine movements, it’s precisely the human element that has made these movements great. Even if no one wants to say it on the back label.

The natural wine movement would have struggled without champions like Isabelle Legeron MW. The orange wine movement needed talented, bearded, enthusiastic evangelists to repackage ancient Georgian techniques. And you have to wonder if the regional cultivar wave would be as far along without prophets like José Vouillamoz and scholars like Jason Wilson.

Indeed, Voor-Paardeberg boasts incredibly old soils and exciting new varieties. It also features cool, southwest-facing slopes and a remarkably fortunate array of mountain peaks and valleys that allow cool air to flow in at just the right time each day. But those factors have always been there. Twenty years ago, it took a few human visionaries to realize the importance of matching variety to climate. It required human infrastructure and organization to preserve old vines that, in today’s economy, were essentially worthless. And now, as some of the most exciting wines from South Africa emerge from the region, they are produced by young, enthusiastic winemakers who dare to do things differently and communicate their own philosophy about what fermented grape juice should or shouldn’t be. Perhaps the revolution has simply returned to its roots.