Wine Enthusiast of USA throws together a guide on South Africa’s best
THE MANAGING editor of Wine Enthusiast in the USA, Lauren Buzzeo is a fan of South Africa and a regular visitor to the country. The magazine is one of the most influential in America’s wine trade and has a significant following among wine consumers in the States, but given Buzzeo’s recent post on ‘Where to Find the Best South African Wine’ you might well wonder just how helpful their pronouncements are.
For the article in/on Wine Enthusiast, see here. No mention at all about the beauties of Constantia and Cape Point, the Cederberg, Tulbagh or Elim, for example!
Talking of Franschhoek, Buzzeo remarks that the area is known for Cap Classique sparklers yet doesn’t mention any of the top bubbly houses among her recommended producers. In the chapter on Stellenbosch there’s no room for Rustenberg or Jordan, Beyerskloof or Warwick, for example. Neither the KWV nor Nederburg get a look in when they touch on Paarl, apparently Newton Johnson of the Hemel-en-Aarde doesn’t show up on their radar, and they’d have you believe that Bon Courage doesn’t make the Top 6 in Robertson.
What a shame! Such a pity!
Regarding Wine Enthusiast’s guide to South Africa’s best… While I understand your dismay that certain regions (like Constantia) were not included in the feature, it was not an oversight. Within the eight pages allotted, I simply could not include every place or every great producer of South Africa… I did feel that leaving out any mention of Cape Town was indeed significant… So we can ask our web editors to consider including an extension link at the end of the online rendering of the article to offer that more complete package…
Additionally, I saw that you are also dismayed that certain producers were not included, like top MCC producers in Franschhoek or Newton Johnson from HeA. As a US-based wine publication, we only review [non-US products that are being imported] into the USA (unless it’s a travel piece, where we have a bit more flexibility as the assumption is you’re encouraging people to visit and gain special on-site experiences they can’t have at home). This policy is to offer the greatest reader service to our predominantly American audience, so that they can actually find and enjoy the recommended selections themselves, as well as to correlate recommendations to our ratings and reviews, which are only completed for wines imported into the U.S.
Regarding Franschhoek, I included Black Elephant Vintners, who indeed produces a lovely MCC, as well as Topiary, who prior to this past year also produced a stunning MCC. There are not many other brands/MCCs that are available stateside from the appellation, though I know it is an important part of the wine landscape and history there, which is why it was important for me to reference. Regarding Newton Johnson, indeed, they were on my list but were cut from the final print feature due to space as well as our ratings/availability, as the wines have never been submitted by their U.S. importer for review and are very limited in distribution/availability here.
There is not a great understanding of South African geography or wine regionality here in the U.S., from novices through to many industry professionals, and so the goal was simply to offer as much information [as possible] and the resulting breadth of fantastic offerings leading to a broader and better consumption for all.
I am a Wine Enthusiast reader and indeed I do find certain producers missing from the article [about South Africa’s best]. If Lauren Buzzeo did not like Rustenberg Chardonnay or Warwick Trilogy or First Lady Chardonnay or Jordan wines, she should, with respect, try them again!