Making headway

As a variety, Shiraz was hardly known or understood by South African producers and consumers before the last decade. In the 1990s it constituted a little over 1% of the national vineyard (it's now roughly 10%). Most of what was planted in that era was badly virused, so the flavours and aromas associated with the grape were contaminated by the impact of the disease. Those who spoke of its telltale leathery notes were actually identifying stressed fruit, and perhaps poor winemaking, rather than the defining features of this great red wine variety.

When clean planting material arrived to replace the sick vineyards of the 20th century, Shiraz was embraced with almost evangelical fervour. However, no sooner had producers put new vines into the ground than the market collapsed. In the late 1990s, even growers delivering to coops averaged over R5 000 per ton for their Shiraz. Ten years later this had fallen to below R2 000. Discount this by inflation and it becomes clear that producers were earning little more than 10% of what they had been banking a decade earlier.

You cannot expect a tenfold increase in plantings - or a tenfold drop in revenues - to deliver enhanced quality. Many of the new vineyards were poorly sited, and those working with the grape had little experience of its idiosyncrasies. The same is true of many of the winemakers who suddenly found themselves with large volumes of expensive fruit and no real idea of how to vinify it.

For most of this decade the market has been flooded with huge volumes of what were essentially experimental wines (though this wasn't what the punters were told). Over-oaked, under-fruited and often unhygienically handled, the early new generation Shiraz was often bad enough to put drinkers off the variety for life. No doubt some of the price weakness reflected consumers voting with their wallets. When the hype promises vastly more than the delivery, the rate of disenchantment rises proportionately.

But this disconnect between expectation and quality appears to be receding. Some of this evidence is circumstantial: last year the Haskell Pillars 2007 vintages won Best Shiraz on Show and Best Red overall at the annual Tri-Nations Challenge held in Sydney. It was also a gold medallist at the 2009 Old Mutual Trophy Wine Show and a Platter's 5-Star Laureate. The Raka Biography has twice won the Shiraz trophy at the Old Mutual event. Eagles' Nest can boast a similar track record.

Beyond these individual triumphs, it is worth noting that the number of medals awarded to the category has increased over the past few years - as a proportion of the total entry. Wood is being used more as a winemaking component than a flavourant. Brett spoilage is largely a problem of older vintages.

It would be naïve to assume that some clarity over industry front-runners and a generally cleaner class of current releases adds up to proof that South Africa is Shiraz country. Our better producers are simply tendering receipts to prove they have paid their school fees. As for the improved average quality of what is on offer - there's nothing like oversupply to focus the mind.

The next step involves understanding what will distinguish South African Shiraz from a host of international competitors. We will need to look to the other so-called Mediterranean varieties - most notably Grenache and Mourvèdre - and to track the role of climate and, in the narrowest sense of the word, of site. And we need to be patient: after all, this has not been a bad result for the first decade.

Michael Fridjhon is a leading wine writer and consultant with extensive international judging experience.