One of South Africa’s leading wine writers, Michael Fridjhon, has caused something of a stir in his country by asserting that a number of local wineries have adopted the scurrilous habit of adding flavour enhancers to sauvignon blanc. I have long been amazed at the intensity and apparently cool-climate like expression of a number of South African sauvignon blancs, given they’re from what is essentially a pretty warm to hot climate for the variety. Until this news, I had ascribed their intensity and herbaceousness to a combination of altitude and viticultural practice, but Fridjhon has put the cat amongst the pigeons. While he has yet to name names – and one hopes that something more than assertion will come out of this issue – he has pleaded for the guilty wineries to fess up so the South African wine industry can get on with the job of restoring confidence in one of its major wines. Regrettably this story could rebound on South Africa’s steadily expanding export activities, but if true, all power to Fridjhon for blowing the whistle.
