Even in lean times, people don't necessarily stop drinking wine, but they do want to be certain they're getting a good value.
That's good news for South Africa, which is getting a boost in visibility from World Cup 2010 just as the country is polishing its reputation for an impressive range of wines that are long on quality and affordability.
South African winemakers are producing notable Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Sauvignon Blanc, Chenin Blanc and Chardonnay. These South African selections are finally starting to break through onto Bay Area wine lists at such diverse spots as Eos Wine Bar and Gary Danko.
"South African wines are great wines and great values," says Hector Osuna, wine director at Eos Wine Bar in Cole Valley. "South Africa has beautiful terroir."
Osuna - also a sales broker with Epic Wines, which includes South Africa in its portfolio - features an aromatic Chenin Blanc for $5 on the Eos happy hour menu, where it pairs well with pan-Asian dishes like Madras curry potato pancakes.
At Bin 38 in the Marina, diners can explore a half-dozen South African wines, like the 2005 Stark-Condé Cabernet Sauvignon for $58. Co-owner Don Davis says South African wines are an easy sell.
Familiar varietals
"They are varietals people are accustomed to - Sauvignon Blanc and Syrah and Cabernet," says Davis. "It's not like having to teach them about Moschofilero from Greece."
Davis says Bin 38's relatively young clientele - mostly aged 21 to about 40 - is open to varietals from new regions.
"That's a big change from my parents' generation who want their Kendall Jackson or Rombauer, or whatever they want, and the last thing they'd be interested in trying is a Chenin Blanc from South Africa," he says.
Exports growing
Overall, South Africa exported a respectable 1.5 million cases to the United States in 2009, down slightly from the previous year, says Rory Callahan, the U.S. representative for Wines of South Africa. The number had been growing steadily, but these days flat is the new up.
As is the case across the industry, South African wines that retail between $8 and $16 are moving most briskly. At K & L Wine Merchants, shoppers are flocking to 2008 Goats Do Roam, a familiar $8 Rhone-style blend; 2009 Neil Ellis' $9 Sincerely Sauvignon Blanc and Graham Beck's $15 sparkling wines.
"We're getting customers who know South African wines and some people who are a bit more adventurous," says John Majeski, the store's South African wine specialist. "I'm pretty confident over the next couple years it will pick up even more."
Good value
Value is associated with most all South African wines, whether its a $26 bottle of 2008 Porcupine Ridge Syrah at Marc 49 in Oakland's Temescal neighborhood, an exceedingly good deal for a second label from the top-flight Boekenhoutskloof winery, or a $39 bottle of Eikendal Vineyards Cabernet Franc at LuLu in San Francisco's South of Market.
"With South Africa, you're getting earthiness, and a kind of smokiness and with these particular wines there's a tobacco and cigar and richness in those aromas," says Joe Merlino, LuLu's beverage director.
Merlino also carries a $75 Shiraz from Solms-Delta, a black economic empowerment brand in which the workers share one-third ownership of the winery. Other higher-end South African wines, from some of the country's most respected producers, are showing up at Bay Area fine dining venues. The 2008 Hamilton Russell Chardonnay goes for $67 a bottle at Michael Mina, the French Laundry offers the 2005 Hamilton Russell Pinot Noir for $110, and at Gary Danko, sommelier Renee-Nicole Kubin features the 2005 Boekenhoutskloof Journeyman Cabernet Sauvignon for $175.
"Boekenhoutskloof is really delicious and really a unique wine," Kubin says. "It's hard to pronounce, but fun to pronounce."
350 years of winemaking
Boekenhoutskloof and Hamilton Russell are both distributed by Vineyard Brands, which signed the two wineries just after apartheid ended. The South African government started to dismantle apartheid in 1990, and limited amounts of wine were allowed into the U.S. in 1991, according to Callahan.
"Last year we were celebrating 350 years of winemaking in South Africa," says Emmanuel Lemoine, Northern California sales manager for Vineyard Brands.
Indeed, South African winemaking dates back to 1655, when Dutch settlers led by Jan van Riebeeck planted French vines near the colony he commanded at Table Bay, according to archives at the National Library of South Africa.
'Johnny-come-lately'
Despite their successes, South African wines have some challenges. South Africa made up just 2 percent of the U.S. wine import market in 2008, according to the Department of Commerce. Most of the foreign wine consumed in the U.S. - 86 percent - comes from France, Italy, Spain, Australia and Chile, the top five import markets.
