Swartland
Swartland (black land) is named for the renosterbos, the prevailing vegetation whose foliage darkens after rain. This elevated plain grows wheat and provides grazing land for cattle and sheep. Co-ops have long dominated its wine production. The Swartland Winery, with 60 members and two million cases annually, is one of the country’s largest.
However, much of the grape produce comes from untrellised, unirrigated bush vines, which can give concentrated fruit and wines of great intensity. Robust reds, mainly Shiraz and Pinotage, have been the hallmark of this region, but there is also a treasure of old Chenin Blanc vines. Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc and white Rhone varieties are increasingly planted. Though mitigated by Atlantic breezes and wide temperature swings between day and night, high temperatures create a short window of optimal ripeness for picking. With its sweeping plains, harsh climate and large output wine co-ops, Swartland is less glamorous than Stellenbosch, Constantia, or Franschhoek, but it has attracted some of South Africa’s most innovative winemakers. They are reinventing the district, crafting cutting-edge wines from Mediterranean varietals, as well as Chenin Blanc used on its own or in blends with other grapes such as Viognier and Grenache Blanc.
Two wards, Malmesbury and Riebeekberg, are delineated in Swartland, but some of its best producers are in an unappellated area between Malmesbury and Paarl’s Voor Paardeberg ward. West of the Perdeberg mountain, in Swartland, is Charles Back’s pioneering Spice Route winery, and to the north, towards Malmesbury, is a cluster of recently established properties, none dating further back than 1997. |
(Swartland, South Africa) 