For lovers of South African wine, a category in which I am decidedly a member, the news is good!

The recent Nederburg Auction, now in its 40^th year, showed a marked demand for premium South African wines, with an increase in sales of 60% over last year, despite a significant drop in the amount of wine up for sale.

The Nederburg Auction is one of the leading wine auctions in the world, along with Burgundy’s Hospices de Beaune and the Napa Valley Wine Auction. All South African wines are eligible. The final choices are determined during blind tastings by a panel of local and international experts.

The success of this year’s auction affirms that South Africa is improving its international reputation as a producer of premium wine.

What does that mean for wine lovers in Florida? Well, while sales of South African wine in Florida, and throughout the US, are improving, it is still a small category. Much needs to be done to increase the awareness of the average wine buyer. Beyond that, wine lovers who are buyers and collectors of premium wines tend to focus on the well-known old faithful names from all of those tried and true wine regions, while neglecting those areas with less established fame. These buyers also need to be made aware of the quality of South African wine. And that is what the success of this year’s Nederburg Auction, hopefully, is doing.

For ordinary wine lovers who are just dipping their toe in the enjoyment of South African wine I am happy to offer a few suggestions. First of all, take a giant step past those cheap, generic wine brands whose labels scream a cartoonish view of Africa – giraffes, lions and all manner of wild animals. For a couple of dollars more you can have a truly interesting wine that satisfies.

Lovers of white wine should try South Africa’s most famous white varietal Chenin Blanc (which they call Steen, a term that seems to be used less and less as South Africa enters the international market). Chenin Blanc has yet to become a go-to wine as far as the American palate is concerned, but those in the know will appreciate its delicate floral, citrus and honey aromas – most South African Chenin Blanc is dry, for those accustomed to the California plonk. Another must-try is potentially South Africa’s greatest white wine – Sauvignon Blanc.

Amongst the reds you will find a lot of excellent Syrah and Cabernet Sauvignon. Also of note and well worth trying are some of the ‘lesser’ grape varieties that originated in the south of France like Cinsaut and Mourvedre. On a recent visit I was also very impressed by much of their Merlot.

As for South Africa’s famous (some would say infamous) native red grape Pinotage, a strange cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut, I would say by all means try one. In fact try many, as just about every South African winemaker has a different take on what the wine is all about, and styles and quality vary across the spectrum. A good one, though, can be extremely satisfying.

Lastly, don’t forget to try some of South Africa’s delicious sparkling wine, which can show quality and drinkability pretty much across the board.

At this point it would appear that South Africa’s wine industry can proudly say it has it all – an up-and-coming new generation of committed and enthusiastic winemakers, a growing sense of terroir and regional identity, any number of interesting grape varieties to work with, and some truly delicious wine.

All that’s needed now is greater international awareness. And that, in some small way, is what this piece is all about. Talk to your local ABC wine consultant, try the wines and help spread the good news about South African wine!

Bill Stobbs, ABC Wine Supervisor

Follow me on Twitter @abcwinebills