No surprise to some as Fairview wins SA Malbec Challenge |

No surprise to some as Fairview wins SA Malbec Challenge

12/2022 Mike Froud Leave a comment

28 WINES were assessed in the 2022 Malbec Challenge (SA). By the end of the day: 13 gold medallists, one winner. On the panel: professional wine judge Carrie Adams (chair), sommelier Gregory Mutambe and social media marketer Janine van Zyl (First Pour). Event coordinator: Celia Gilloway.

“The tiny, thick-skinned little grapes of the Malbec vine produce inky black wine with medium to robust tannins,” Adams commented. “Well-made Malbec smells and tastes of red and black plums, raspberries, chocolate and tobacco, and works very well with intelligent oak management. Whilst best known as a component of the classic Bordeaux blend, these wines were all 100% Malbec.”

According to Adams: “Not surprisingly, the winning wine was Fairview. Charles Back wears the badge for innovation in South Africa when it comes to pioneering the lesser-known grape varieties. The wine [2021 vintage] is a serious crowd-pleaser… It exudes ripe raspberries, caramel and a spicy twist at the end.”

Well, some of us found it a little surprising. A niche variety in the Cape, Malbec has been a sporadic release from Fairview, a hard sell. At the time of writing there was very little info about it relative to most other current releases on offer from the farm in Paarl – besides the name of winemaker Anthony de Jager on the front label and a brief note in the online marketplace. The price just R125 a bottle – R105 if you’re a member of the Fairview Wine Club. Perhaps Back didn’t see it coming either. And maybe the tide is turning in South Africa for a grape championed by the Argentinians and Chileans.