Trophy Show Judges: Why the World is Looking at South Africa Differently

There was a time when South African wine sought validation by measuring itself against the world’s great benchmarks. Bordeaux for Cabernet Sauvignon. Burgundy for Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. The Rhône for Syrah. That era, according to two of the wine world’s most respected voices, is over.

Speaking at the Trophy Wine Show judges’ feedback session, Master of Wine Heidi Mäkinen and veteran British wine writer Oz Clarke delivered an enthusiastic assessment of South African wine’s current standing. Their message was clear: South Africa is no longer trying to find its place in the global wine landscape. It has found it.

For Mäkinen, who last judged at the Trophy Wine Show in 2017, the progress has been striking.

“It’s very exciting to be back after nine years,” she said. “I do think that this country has gone miles forward since last time I was here.”

Her observations were not merely about improved quality. They reflected a deeper confidence she senses among South African producers.

“There’s a lot of belief in what you do uniquely in this country and less of the comparisons to the Burgundies and Bordeauxs in the wine world,” she said. “After a while you just have to have that inherent belief in what you do.”

That confidence, she believes, is now visible across the spectrum of South African wine. Whether working with international varieties such as Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah, or grapes more closely associated with South Africa such as Chenin Blanc and Cinsault, producers are increasingly expressing a distinctive identity.

For Mäkinen, the comparison she once made with Spain is becoming increasingly relevant to South Africa.

“I was raving about how my favourite wine country is Spain,” she recalled. “But here am I thinking maybe I should change that topic to saying South Africa is that country.”

The reasons are similar. Spain’s rise has been built on indigenous varieties, innovative young winemakers and exceptional value. South Africa, she suggested, is following a comparable path, while adding its own unique voice.

Her optimism extended beyond the vineyards and into the marketplace.

“I think South Africa has gained that presence already in the premium wine market,” she said. “Be proud of yourselves.”

If Mäkinen’s comments reflected the view of an international observer returning after a decade, Oz Clarke provided the longer historical perspective. Few wine writers have witnessed South Africa’s post-isolation wine journey as closely as Clarke, who first judged local wines internationally in the 1990s and was present at the inaugural Trophy Wine Show in 2002.

Looking back, he described an industry that was once convinced it was producing world-class wine while the rest of the world was less persuaded.

“There was immense goodwill towards South Africa,” Clarke recalled, “but the wine world was largely complacent and thought they knew how to do things.”

The challenge, he said, was that countries such as Australia, New Zealand and California were innovating faster and responding more effectively to consumers.

What followed over the next quarter-century has been one of the wine world’s most remarkable transformations.

“South Africa is now doing as a world leader what it wasn’t doing 25 years ago,” Clarke said.

Central to that evolution has been a willingness to embrace both innovation and heritage.

On the one hand, South Africa has developed distinctive interpretations of global varieties. Clarke singled out Syrah, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir as examples of wines that no longer mimic international styles.

“You’ve come up with a new style of Syrah which France wasn’t making, which Australia wasn’t making,” he said.

The same applies to Pinot Noir.

“It’s not like the French, it’s not like the Californians, it’s not like the New Zealanders. It’s yours.”

Yet South Africa’s success is equally rooted in its history. Clarke was particularly enthusiastic about the preservation of old vineyards and the work of the Old Vine Project.

“You haven’t ripped up all your old vines,” he said. “Those old grapes are precious.”

He spoke warmly of varieties such as Cinsault, Grenache, Carignan, Palomino, Clairette and Grenache Blanc, arguing that in a world crowded with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon, these heritage varieties provide South Africa with something genuinely distinctive.

Perhaps the strongest endorsement came when Clarke discussed Cabernet Sauvignon.

At a time when many regions are producing increasingly ripe, powerful and heavily extracted Cabernet, he believes Stellenbosch is charting a more classical course.

“Stellenbosch is making almost the most classical Cabernets in the whole world,” he said.

More provocatively, he suggested that the best Stellenbosch Cabernets today are often closer in style to traditional Bordeaux than many modern Bordeaux wines themselves.

“It’s a maritime grape,” Clarke said. “It makes savoury wines, beautifully balanced wines that are meant to make your mouth water.”

The maritime influence of the Cape’s vineyards was a recurring theme throughout the discussion. Clarke pointed to the cooling Benguela Current and the diversity of coastal sites as major advantages, particularly for Sauvignon Blanc and Pinot Noir.

Those natural assets, combined with increasingly sophisticated viticulture and winemaking, are helping South Africa carve out a unique identity.

What impressed both Mäkinen and Clarke most was that this identity is no longer built around imitation.

Twenty-five years ago, South Africa was often evaluated according to how closely its wines resembled European benchmarks. Today, the conversation has changed.

For Mäkinen, the defining characteristic of South African wine is confidence.

For Clarke, it is authenticity.

The two themes are closely linked.

South African wine is succeeding not because it has become more like Bordeaux, Burgundy or the Rhône. It is succeeding because it has become more comfortable being itself.

The result is an industry that combines old vines and new ideas, heritage and innovation, global ambition and local character.

As Mäkinen put it: “There is a really good way forward.”

And if Clarke’s assessment is anything to go by, the rest of the wine world is paying attention.

“You’ve managed to catch hold of the good parts of your history,” he said, “and you’ve created an entirely new narrative at the same time.”

For a country once searching for recognition, that may be the greatest achievement of all.

• Trophy Show results due Monday 8 June.