With a name like De Wet Viljoen, there can be no mistaking that he is from South Africa. As soon as he connected over Zoom and started speaking, my heart smiled and memories of growing up in this land of sunshine, came flooding back.

DRINK - Neethlingshof South African Wine with Wine Events Scotland

De Wet is the winemaker at Neethlingshof Winery and Vineyards in Stellenbosh. The estate was first established in 1692 with wine being produced for the first time in 1802. Now Neethlingshof is one of South Africa’s largest wineries and the 278 hectres of land are home to a prime vineyards as well as their Wine Tasting Centre and Gardens, Celler Tours, The Salt Road Restaurant, and the Wine Shop.

Neethlingshof impressively grows Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec, Petit Verdot, Shiraz, Gewürztraminer, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Viognier, Weisser Riesling, Chenin Blanc and are WWF Conservation Champions actively implementing biodiversity into all of their farming practices.

They produce a range of quality wines, comprising of the Estate Range, The Short story collection and ode to nature.

I was excited to try these wines, as I’d not enjoyed a good South African wine for a while. Luckily these Wine Maker Series Wine Tastings with Wine Events Scotland are split over 2 evenings. If I had to taste all six wines in one night… let’s just say I’d be dancing on the dining room table for an hour or so.

The first evening is dedicated to three white wines, with the three reds discussed and drunk the following week.  

So let’s get drinking.

Chenin Blanc 2020

This is undoubtedly the most popular grape variety in South Africa as it’s also used to produce Brandy. Brandy is a massively popular spirit is SA, much like whisky is here in Scotland. This little white number with a brilliant pale green hue sports tropical fruit and you’ll pick up many South African fruits in here – guava, granadilla (passionfruit), pear and some stone fruit. Lots of floral notes here too. Super easy to drink.

Chardonnay 2020

This unwooded Chardonnay means that there is less acidity here which in turn gives a really nice mouthfeel. The tasting notes say limes, lemons, pears and peaches but I can pick up banana and lots of floral notes; perhaps orange blossom and some lychee. Chardonnay drinkers will delight in this one.

Gewurztraminer 2020

This is one of my all time favourite white wines - I love a Gewurztraminer! This one is off dry.

This is an absolute stunner. Every single note of the nose and palate is what I love in a wine and I pick up more and more, the more I drink. I find it quite a layered wine. So what can you expect – rose petals, lychee, South African cream soda drink (no, the UK one is not the same); its almost Turkish Delight-ish!

There’s a minerality to the finish which gives it a sense of sophistication but wow – love this! This wine will ripen nicely over 5 years or so which will only enhance its complexity.

Neethlingshof is South Africa’s largest producer of Estate Wine, meaning that all the fruit for the wine is grown on the farm and nothing is outsourced. It’s also an added bonus that all their wines are vegan; they stick to strict vegan guidelines during the entire farming and winemaking process.

As I carnivore and a lover of meat (sorry vegans), I love a superb steak to accompany a bulging glass of red or two and Neethlingshof Reds are some of the best for pairing with meat. There reds pair tremendously well with their meats such as springbok, ostrich and mutton which translates easily for us Scots as we have incredible venison, haggis, lamb and beef available.   

Malbec 2019

My suggestion – order yourself a bottle or five of this now. The tannins on this are soft and very elegant instead of the big n bold tannins you’d usually find in a Malbec. It’s silky and smooth on the palate with some earthy oaky tastes coming to the fore with plum flavours coming through too which makes it quite savoury. It’s a gorgeous deep ruby colour from the flesh of the grapes rather than the skins.

This matches perfectly with a curry or a South African Bunnychow or some salty gorgonzola cheese.

Pinotage 2019

For such a young wine, it’s vibrant. Not a lot of tannins but with a whole lot of fruity flavours packed in. I picked up really ripe banana, dark cherries and plums but it has some spice too and there’s most definitely a hint of cinnamon and I detect some dark chocolate.

It’s a wine that will mature well over the next five years, so pop this in your cellar and wait.

This would pair well with anything on the BBQ but also roasted earthy vegetables like beetroot and carrots.

Shiraz 2016

There are two medal stickers on this wine for good reason, this wine is a stunner! And I’m having trouble deciding which is the ultimate favourite red wine – this or the Malbec.

For this harvest, the berries were small with a high concentration meaning that the grapes had a thick skin with little flesh and not much juice resulting in succulent deep ruby wine, packed with an abundance of ripe dark berry flavours; beautifully spicy but elegant.

This you’ll want to drink whilst tucking into a stick or two of biltong or droe wors whilst watching the rugby! No wonder this is South African Airlines red wine of choice.

The power of Zoom has allowed us to explore wineries/vineyards like never before. We now have access to amazing producers, winemakers and sommeliers who can link up to talk to us at the click of a button.

A massive thank you, as always to Diana from Wine Events Scotland, who really is ever expanding the wine world and bringing it direct into our homes.

A massive thank you to De Wet for helping me explore some fantastic South African wines. These are most definitely on my wine list, and I hope to keep a bottle or two to mature for a few years (well, I’ll try – no promises!)

All of these wines are available to purchase direct from Diana at Wine Events Scotland. The white wines are priced at £12.50 and the red wines at £15.00.

For future tastings, wine purchases and more info on wine visit www.wineeventsscotland.co.uk