MICHAEL FRIDJHON: Holiday mood loosens festival goers’ purse strings

The annual St Francis Wine on Water festival may appear to be simply a regional wine bash, but it is one of the few public wine events in SA that yields valuable sales volumes and delivers meaningful income to charity.

The sad truth about wine shows is that they attract a high percentage of folk who think that because they have paid an entrance fee, they can “sample” (which of course means “drink”) as much as they like without buying from the exhibitors. In short, for many visitors such occasions are an extended vinous pub crawl co-funded by the country’s wine producers.

Wine on Water has managed to escape the stereotype. It is organised by the St Francis Bay Rotary Club and sponsored by Investec. Over its two days it is attended by literally thousands of paying/buying guests. Many have primary or secondary residences in St Francis. They obviously choose to stock them with wine appropriate for the environment. Where better to decide if the wines match the mood of the place than on the canals themselves?

There are other factors that explain the event’s success: some of the wines on offer are unlikely to be in commercial distribution — and certainly not in the bottle stores of Humansdorp or even the surprisingly well-stocked outlets that serve the townsfolk.

There’s also the well proven “propensity-to-shop” that possesses people in a holiday mood or in a holiday place. How far this helps to drive purchase is obviously not quantifiable. However, judging from the enthusiasm with which the producers who descend on St Francis embrace the event (pretty much in the middle of harvest season), it’s clear that the sales are more than gratifying.

It would take considerable dedication to visit all 25 of the producers who set up their stands at various of the houses along the St Francis canals. Even if you set out with unabated enthusiasm under the expert guidance of a teetotal gondolier, you might run out of docking space. For the past two iterations of the event I’ve managed to cover a fair array. I have certainly sampled enough wine to have discoveries worth sharing.

At Gabrielskloof I liked the two entry level whites (2023 sauvignon blanc and 2023 Chenin) but I preferred the two syrahs — the 2023 Whole Bunch (R240) with its forward bright fruit (suggesting that a portion of the grapes went through carbonic maceration) and the 2021 Syrah on Sandstone. The latter is fine and elegant, with powdery tannins and a lovely persistence. At almost R500, it’s not an everyday drink (except for politicians and oligarchs) but it’s worthy of special occasions.

Elgin’s Highlands Road is one of the country’s best sauvignon blanc producers, making wines that acquire real charm and detail after a few years in the bottle. The 2020 is splendid and well worth tracking down, as is the white Bordeaux blend sold under the proprietary name of Sine Cera. The 2017 is exceptional, waxy, polished and perfumed.

At Kevin Grant’s Ataraxia tasting I discovered for the first time the wines made by the next generation using fruit from the younger vineyards. Sold under the Ataraxia Young Blood label (I think “Young Guns” might have a happier connotation), both the pinot and chardonnay sell for around R200 — great value at the price. However, if you want to know why the regular chardonnay costs double that, buy a few bottles: older vineyards, more profound oaking and the lifetime experience of Grant Père.

Elsewhere I tasted a pretty Tokara Elgin sauvignon blanc 2023 (ambitiously price at around R200) and the cellar’s fine 2020 Stellenbosch Reserve Cabernet.

At Cederberg’s pier I sampled the 2023 Chenin and decided it was one of the best value wines at the event: youthful, and just beginning to reveal its multiple layering. Linear and precise, it sells for a little more than R100. The Cederberg Bukettraube also overdelivers at R130 as does the cellar’s entry level 2021 cabernet: delicious and accessible — and a bargain at R250.