Jenny B. Davis

Four days after the 1994 presidential elections in South Africa--the nation's first following the dismantling of its infamous apartheid system of government--Pieter Malan stood before a customs agent at JFK airport.

Accustomed to being singled out as a well-off, white citizen of a largely poor, racially oppressive nation, Malan fully expected to be stopped, questioned, even searched, as he had been in the past when he'd traveled internationally on behalf of Simonsig, his family's vineyards outside of Cape Town.

This time, however, was different.

"I see you're from South Africa," the agent began.

Malan braced for the worst, but got only this: "Did you vote?"

"I did," he answered truthfully. "For Nelson Mandela."

The agent smiled. "Welcome to New York," he said. "Come inside."

It's a story that Malan clearly loves to tell, and one he willingly shared with diners at West Town Tavern, which recently hosted a private dinner showcasing wines from Simonsig Family Vineyards, where he is managing director. The parallel was clear: South African wine is now welcome in America.

Welcome, yes, but still kept at somewhat of a handshake distance. Yet wine experts agree that the grapes of the Cape--from coastal regions like Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek--deserve a full-on embrace, thanks to an impressive level of food-friendliness and value pricing. All that's needed, it seems, is an introduction.

"I think people are surprised to learn that there's a wine industry in South Africa--they don't think of any part of Africa as being connected to wine, and perhaps they are still uncertain as to whether they should be supporting South Africa," says Drew Goss, co-owner of West Town Tavern. Four years ago, West Town was among the first restaurants in the city to offer a South African wine on the menu.

Right now, the restaurant is pouring a South African pinotage. This grape, a hybrid of pinot noir and cinsault, was created in Stellenbosch and is perhaps the country's best known wine grape, although it is little known in America. "We found it's very fascinating with food," says Goss. "It's a unique varietal that's worth checking out, especially with stuff that's grilled."

Goss' first introduction to South African wine, however, was through a white. "The first thing I ever had was four years ago, it was a sauvignon blanc from Brampton," Goss says. "We tasted it with a bunch of sauvignon blancs from around the world, and we were like, `Wow!'--and it was half the price of its competitors."

Back then, Goss says, there wasn't much of an emphasis on South African wines. But now he's starting to see them crop up on more menus-even at renowned fine dining restaurants like Le Français and Kevin--and he believes the trend will only continue. "With the Internet and people in their twenties who are looking for wines at reasonable prices that taste good with what they want to eat, there's going to be so much more interest," he says. "People are just so much more open-minded, and it's really exciting."

Retail popularity is also picking up. Sam's Wines & Spirits has one of the largest selections in the city, and that's no accident. "We are selling more of it, no question about it," says Sam's chief operating officer Brian Rosen. "There's been a lack of acceptance for the wines because everyone's always `California French, California French.' But California wines and French wines have priced themselves out of the market, so here's a wine they can enjoy at a reasonable price--you can get a great bottle of wine for $7, $11 and $14."

Rosen also shares Goss' appreciation for the underappreciated pinotage grape. "Pinotage is a great wine," he says. "But these wines have always been more about quality than marketing--if they'd named it pinot noir, they'd be ahead of the curve. "

Which is why customer education must be ongoing--especially the tasting, says Jeff Durbin, co-owner of the Gourmet Grape wine shop on Halsted. "If I open a bottle of chenin blanc on a Saturday, I'll sell it," he says. "Once people try it, they realize that it's a great summer wine, not heavy or complex, and it's only $9.99 a bottle." Reason enough to put out the welcome mat. (2006-06-06)

Also by Jenny B. Davis

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4pm, Saturday afternoon. You're still slumped on the couch, watching sucky Lifetime movies and reeking of smoke and gin. No problem, except your _________'s (insert best friend/mom/ex-fiancé/boss) wedding starts in three hours
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Anarchy in the kitchen
The obvious lack of structure might have brought down lesser events, but here it goes unnoticed. In fact, it might even be encouraged.
(2002-10-30)

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