Cape L’ Agulhas is the geographic southern tip of the African continent and the beginning of the dividing line between the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
Wine was first created in the region by Moravian missionaries in the town of Elim as they needed wine for their religious services. Known as ‘nagmaal wyn,’ or wine for holy communion, the missionaries planted their vineyards around 150 years ago. Commercial winemaking commenced from vineyards planted in the late 1990s in the region, and wine producers have expanded their operations and now export their wine all around the globe.
However, this recent wine-related history belies the rich archaeological history that this region has enjoyed. The first recorded instance of Homo Sapiens expressing cognitive thought was found in Blombos Cave near Still Bay (and close to Sijnn Wines) – cross-hatching done in ochre was found on several stones in the cave. This extraordinary find was dated back to 80 000 years before the common human era. Excavations done in Klipgat Cave near Gansbaai, a short distance from Lomond Wines, show a rich and diverse use of the location including up until around 2000 years ago when the Khoisan people moved onto the Agulhas Plain as the rich fauna of the region was ideal for their pastoral life.
More recently, European explorers who rounded the tip of Africa in search of India encountered this wildland and seascape. The litany of shipwrecks, some 150 or so that have been formally recorded in the modern era, bear witness to the rigours of traversing the Agulhas Bank, home to some of the most treacherous waters on the planet. The Agulhas Wine Triangle (AWT) was established in 2019 as a non-profit company to showcase the wines, tourism, and natural beauty of the Agulhas area.
The AWT members represent the region’s favourite wineries: Black Oystercatcher Wines, Ghost Corner, Land’s End, Strandveld Vineyards, The Giant Periwinkle and Trizanne Signature Wines from the Elim wine ward; Sijnn Wines from Malgas; Olivedale Private Vineyards from Swellendam; Lomond Wines from Cape Agulhas; and The Drift Estate and Skipskop Wines from Napier.
The Agulhas Wine Triangle slogan of Wine for Explorers pays homage to all the people who have inhabited this landscape and contributed to its unique location at the foot of Africa.
Discoverers, globetrotters, adventurers, explorers - The Agulhas Wine Triangle exists for you, and because of you.
The area
South Africa’s youngest wine region is characterised by extreme vineyards planted in the southernmost ancient soils in the world. The wines are influenced by their proximity to the wild, cold oceans and tempering, cooling winds.
With 284 hectares under vine (The overarching region of the Cape South Coast has 2 621 hectares under vine), the most planted cultivars include Sauvignon Blanc (118,39 ha), Shiraz (72,20 ha), Merlot (38,65 ha), Semillon (17,03 ha), Pinot Noir (12,35 ha). Sauvignon Blanc makes up over 40% of the plantings.
The pioneering winegrowers of the Agulhas Wine Triangle share a spirit for exploration and adventure. They are known for championing elegant, site-driven wines, with concentrated fruit flavours. Already recognised by wine journalists for crafting some of the longest-lived dry white wines in the world with a distinctive salinity and incredible palate weight.
Agulhas Wine Triangle Sauvignon Blanc 101
What makes Sauvignon Blanc from the Agulhas Wine Triangle unique?
The wines are influenced by their proximity to the wild, cold oceans and tempering, cooling winds.
"AWT Sauvignon Blanc is distinctively recognisable as a wine of Elim. Undoubtedly, if you put Sauvignon Blanc made by The Berrio, BOC, Strandveld Vineyards, etc. in a blind tasting you can pick up the region’s character. And I think that’s what’s key to this area: character. It’s first and foremost mineral, with a very distinct minerality.’- Dirk Human (Founder Black Oystercatcher)
Why is the terroir suited to Sauvignon Blanc?
"Sauvignon Blanc is a strong cultivar, it has thick leaves and vigour, and we need the wind and the poor gravel soils to tame it, and to give us small yields to make the wines that we’re making. We’ve got four basic soil types: quartzite, iron ferricrete - the majority - broken shale, and sandstone. The berries taste completely different depending on which one of those four soil types they’ve grown in." - Conrad Vlok (Cellar Master Strandveld Wines)
Why is cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc different from warmer climate Sauvignon Blanc?
"If we look at Sauvignon Blanc grown in warmer regions, you normally have to pick the grapes early to protect the pyrazines. This means that you must pick them before they are fully ripe (otherwise, the distinct Sauvignon Blanc flavour profile is lost). This means that you end up with quite a high malic acid content (and as this is a sour taste, it is not a pleasant flavour to have in a wine). To counteract this, winemakers adjust the pH to provide balance (by using tartaric acid), creating a pleasant drinking wine. In the Agulhas area, however, a pH of 3.2 to 3.3 is what we aim for, as this creates the perfect balance that we are after in our wines. We do not get this naturally, but from the beginning of the growing season and when we start the wine-making process, we are focused on reducing acidity. The rest of the country is focused on increasing it (because they have to due to their growing conditions), by adding tartaric acid to the wine. Here we can focus on reducing the acidity, most especially by using skin contact as this is a natural way of reducing acidity. The pleasant after effect of this is that skin contact adds character and complexity to the wines. Therefore, what nature provides us, is in the end what gives our wines their uniqueness." - Conrad Vlok (Cellar Master Strandveld Vineyards)
"Sauvignon Blanc from the Agulhas area is silky. In a blind tasting it’s really not difficult to point out which wines are local." - Hannes Meyer (Cellar Master Lomond Wines)
What impact do the wind and ocean have on the cultivar?
"Learning to live with the wind, and farming with the wind here is probably the most important thing. The strong winds impact the direction in which our rows are planted, which then determines the amount of indirect sunlight the bunches are exposed to. This has a huge influence on the flavour. Being close to the coast we get high moisture and sometimes during harvest time we can get eight days consecutively of the South Easter with the relative humidity averaging around 100% for those eight days, which poses great difficulties. The importance of row direction cannot be underestimated here." - Dirk Human (Founder Black Oystercatcher)
Do you have an interesting anecdote to add?
"To showcase the influence that the different soil types have on the wine, we hand-picked grapes from each soil type, made one barrel of each, and named it The Secrets of Sauvignon. I don’t know how to explain it, but if you taste them, you can taste the difference. It’s like chalk and cheese. This is the beauty of what we have to work within this region.’ - Dirk Human (Founder Black Oystercatcher)
"As with the Tri-Nations tournament, involving three southern hemisphere nations; Australia, New Zealand and South Africa, competing to see who reigns supreme in rugby - in the wine industry we have our own friendly “Tri-Nations” rivalry, and although New Zealand recently won with the highest scoring wine, South Africa won overall!" - Conrad Vlok (Cellar Master Strandveld Wines)
How does the soil impact the wine?
"Our soil in the region is so diverse; there’s a lot of different variations within one single block. You are very likely to find many different soil types near each other. With The Secrets of Sauvignon project, I wanted to showcase why I think a lot of the complexity that’s in our wines is due to the minerality that is present in the soils. If you pick grapes from shale soils you get a seaweed flavour profile, salinity, leaning towards the citrus side. On a quartz soil base, the flavours are flinty, like a match flaring, or when the rain first hits the ground after a dry spell. It’s thinner and more linear, whereas wines from the shale base have a fuller body. Shale has a very high pH which leads me to believe that this is where the minerality and chalkiness come from. On the iron ferricrete soils we get a lot more gooseberry and blackcurrant flavours. All our soils have got a topsoil layer with a layer of clay below, and below that is white chalk, which is weathered shale, so very fine and extremely salty. I think that’s where that specific minerality comes from. The different soil layers all have different pH levels. On the surface, the measurement can be 6, the next layer 3.5, and below this is a pH of 8. Managing these pH levels is a big challenge for us." - Dirk Human (Founder Black Oystercatcher)
Onswijn
Discover the southernmost Sauvignon Blanc with Onswijn's Agulhas Wine Triangle Collection. Ed & Ivy at Onswijn has put together the ultimate Sauvignon Blanc Collection for wine explorers, together with tasting notes and a tasting card to pencil in your own experience.
This stylish collection includes cool-climate Sauvignon Blanc from:
The Berrio Sauvignon Blanc 2021
Green pepper, cut grass, asparagus, and fresh green peas. Grapes are hand-picked, processed, crushed, in the press with minimal skin contact. Pressed into stainless steel tanks where fermentation took place. Extended lease contact was followed by blending the Berrio components. The wine was then stabilised and bottled. A wine showing its true character from the Elim terroir.
Black Oystercatcher Sauvignon Blanc 2021
A well-balanced, cool climate Sauvignon Blanc, with a forthcoming nose of gooseberry, black current, and tropical notes, complemented by a full palate of minerality and crisp after tones.
Trizanne Signature Wines "TSW" Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Harvest started in the middle of February and continued for two weeks. Cold fermentation of the different Sauvignon Blanc parcels happened separately in tank after which they were left of the lees for a few months before meticulous blending took place. Bottling took place in Oct 2020.
Vibrant and fresh notes of passion fruit, distinct minerality expected from this cooler climate and layered with subtle herbal notes. Energetic on the palate which builds and encapsulates the aromas into the palate. Finishes on a dry, clean, and very classy note.
Land's End Cape Agulhas Sauvignon Blanc 2020
Dune herbs, salted and crisp. At first linear with an undercurrent of seashell flintiness, then evolving to notes of the tropics, fresh pineapple, mango, a radiant intensity of fruit. On the palate the light of white pear and the green tones of kiwi fruit swirl across a juicy core of tropical sunshine, all this concentration balanced by an energising freshness, whipping right through, so characteristic of windswept Elim. Sea salt on the dry finish, an echo of green herbs.
Lomond Sugarbush Sauvignon Blanc 2021
This registered Single Vineyard site was deliberately chosen, owing to its specific terroir consisting of fine kaolin clay soils, for the crafting of the Sugarbush Single Vineyard Sauvignon Blanc. This is one of the highest vineyards on the farm situated on the southeast-facing slopes of Ben Lomond, which ensures that the vineyard is cooled by the prevailing summer winds off the sea. The vineyards of Lomond are surrounded by indigenous flora known as Fynbos. This single-vineyard wine is named after a vulnerable listed species endemic to the Agulhas Region, Protea obtusifolia or Limestone Sugarbush.
Strandveld Pofadderbos Sauvignon Blanc 2021
A certified single vineyard wine grown in almost 100% rocky yellow ferricrete soil. Named for the many encounters with local Puff Adder snake residents, this cool climate Sauvignon blanc is both beautifully expressive of terroir and slow ripening conditions without the loss of flavour. Passion fruit, grapefruit, and blackcurrant on the nose. Creamy and full on the palate with citrus, fynbos, and oyster shell minerality complemented by a lovely natural acidity and a long finish.
Conclusion
Experience the super complexity of the southernmost Sauvignon Blanc. Embark on a journey of the senses. Explore the natural beauty of the region. Unleash the avid adventurer within you. Uncover the secrets of Sauvignon Blanc in the wonderful windswept Agulhas area by saying YES to the adventure!
