South African Shiraz

While Cabernet Sauvignon was, for many years, seen as South Africa’s leading red wine, in recent times Shiraz – or Syrah – has built up an enviable reputation for delivering wines of real style and substance in the Cape. At the heart of this has been the dynamic Swartland region, where producers such as Sadie, Mullineux and Boekenhoutsloof have carved out an international reputation for wines of real depth and poise. Many such wines are labelled Syrah, rather than Shiraz, largely in a nod to the wines of the Northern Rhône, which tend to prize elegance and vibrancy, as opposed to the Shiraz of Australia, which has traditionally been more about power and structure.