There have been many SA wine drinkers who’ve been surprised to learn that some estates make wine from grapes that aren’t grown on those estates, that some wine outfits refer to themselves as estates when they’re not, or that some farms which are registered as estates choose not to describe themselves as such. That said, wine lovers are concerned mostly with quality, reliability and brand image – perhaps a bit of romance or a sense of adventure on discovering something new. Few consumers base their purchase decisions on whether the product is grown, made and bottled on the farm whose name is on the label.

Naturally, however, the more intrigued you are about wine, the more curious you’re likely to be about where the grapes come from. The authorities’ certification can be as vague as ‘Coastal’, and since the term ‘Estate’ became confusing, sometimes misleading, the words ‘Single Vineyard’ have become the best pointers when it comes to place of origin.

Of course, Single Vineyard refers to location only – it might well also imply a quality standard of sorts, but nowhere near as telling as the respectable track records that come with good panel ratings over a spread of vintages. So it’s interesting to note which of South Africa’s best wines are designated as Single Vineyard – be it officially or unofficially, seeing as how many Single Vineyard Wines are not registered or certified as such.

Stellenzicht Syrah: one of the Cape’s top single-vineyard wines since 1994

A prime example is ‘Plum Pudding Hill’ by Stellenzicht of Cape Legends, Distell, labelled as Stellenzicht Syrah prior to the 2007 recently released at R170 a bottle, now with the name of the registered vineyard much more prominent than the name of the farm in Stellenbosch (Stellenzicht is not a registered estate), and with the variety and vintage tucked away on the side. This wine has always been made from grapes grown on the same site since the maiden vintage of 1994 which had experts making comparrisons with Australia’s Grange and other top wines around the world.

Regarding the future of Plum Pudding Hill, winemaker Guy Webber says that the team already has up to 2014 either in bottle or in barrel and sees no reason why the vineyard shouldn’t have another good few years ahead of it. “The actual yields are very low… it is more about the consistency and quality… basically a ‘heritage’ thing,” says Webber of this Top 20 Shiraz. And no, the name has nothing to do with the characteristics of the wine but rather local folklore which has it that a trailer-load of plums overturned nearby, making a mess never to be forgotten.

Here (see below) are the names of leading Single Vineyard Wines included in the SA Wine Classifications – with those actually registered as such, even if only for a single vintage, underscored accordingly:

TOP SA SINGLE VINEYARD WINES