FOLLOWING AN article about South Africa’s organic wines on Top Wine SA came an organic/biodynamic wine sale convened by local auction house Strauss & Co, merchants Wine Cellar and sommelier Higgo Jacobs. Whereas there are over 20 organic wine producers in South Africa who market themselves as such, only four – Joostenberg, Laibach, Longridge and Reyneke – were represented in the auction catalogue dominated by European cellars. What does this say about Organic Wine SA?

“It is what it is,” says Wine Cellar director Roland Peens. “SA probably has 200th [0.5%] of the number of organic/biodynamic producers of France, so naturally they are the bulk of what is (a) available and (b) attractive to our customers… Most [SA organic/bio producers] don’t fit into the fine wine category. Certification is expensive, and farming principles are often trumped by minimising losses, rather than maximising quality. We have a very long way to go.”

As things turned out at the auction, some of the lots didn’t sell, and/but some five-year-old Reserve Shiraz from Reyneke in Stellenbosch fetched over R900 a bottle, nine- and 10-year-old Chardonnay and Bordeaux-style red blend from the Longridge cellar in Stellenbosch sold for over R1000 a bottle, with a seven-year-old Longridge Misterie Merlot fetching over R3000 a bottle – R3322pb in fact, the highest price paid on the day, albeit for a wine that is biodynamically-farmed but not certified as such! See below for details of all of the SA wines auctioned.

Highlights among the top prices paid for the ‘organic/biodynamic’ French wines auctioned included R17 588 for six bottles of Champagne De Sousa Cuvée des Caudalies Grand Cru Extra Brut 2010 (disgorged in 2017), the same price – equivalent to R2931pb – paid for the Bordeaux blend Pape Clément 2012, and R14 070 paid for five bottles of the Cab-Merlot combination Rauzan Ségla 2009, also from Bordeaux, organically-farmed but not certified as such!

Hmmm. Would it be true to say then that being marketed and acknowledged as organic or biodynamic counts more than being labelled as such?

SA ‘ORGANIC’ WINES AUCTIONED

Joostenberg Die Agterbos Chenin Blanc 2017
R1642 paid for 6×750ml: R275pb

Laibach Claypot Merlot 2010 – 2015
R3518 paid for 6×750ml: R586pb

Longridge Clos du Ciel Chardonnay 2013 – 2015
R7035 paid for 6×750ml: R1172pb

Jasper Raats Cuvée Rika Pinot Noir 2012 – 2018
R4456 paid for 6×750ml: R743pb

Longridge Ekliptika 2012 (Red Blend)
R7035 paid for 6×750ml: R1172pb

Longridge Ekliptika 2015 (Red Blend)
R6449 paid for 6×750ml: R1074pb

Longridge Misterie Merlot 2015
R9967 paid for 3×750ml: R3322pb

Reyneke Reserve White 2013 – 2017 (Sauvignon Blanc)
R4104 paid for 6×750ml: R684pb

Reyneke Reserve Red 2007 (Shiraz)
R5628 paid for 6×750ml: R938pb

Reyneke Reserve Red 2009 (Shiraz)
R5277 paid for 6×750ml: R879pb

Reyneke Reserve Red 2015 (Shiraz)
R4456 paid for 6×750ml: R743pb