Who says Dessert Wines are passé? South Africans have rediscovered their love for the fortified category. Here’s why:
Fortified wines are gaining traction in South Africa, showing unit and value growth. Vinimark’s Head of Insights and Business Advisory, Oelof Wiedeman, confirms Allesverloren has kept its place at the helm of this category, with De Krans’s Ruby moving from fourth to second place, and Bon Courage still a local favourite.
Sales statistics from market researcher Circana show wines produced in Spain’s Sherry style continue to be the strongest segment in fortifieds; Muscadel is growing the fastest and wines made as South Africa’s answer to Port, sustain popularity. Why? The bigger picture suggests the COVID19 pandemic saw South African drinkers reaching for the forgotten bottles left in the cupboard, and these were often fortified wines.
A continued interest in the category shows wine lovers have remembered why they liked it so much, and perhaps developed a new appreciation for just how delicious these wines can be. There’s also their use as a cooking ingredient and relevance to food pairing to consider. France is one of the globe’s biggest importers of Port, as the Portuguese sweet red wine is incorporated widely into French cuisine.
Identifying the dishes that are best suited to fortified wines is a science of its own. An eye for detail and specificity is essential to putting the right flavours together. Notes of spicy prune and tobacco prevalent in Landskroon’s Cape Vintage pair well with berry-infused dark chocolate truffles, while the roasted hazelnut flavours produced during the Rancho process of a Boplaas Cape Tawny are enhanced by caramel or spiced dark chocolate.
While fortified wines must have 100g of sugar per litre to be named as such, this category is about much more than that. Any wine judge worth their salt will tell you that every sub-category has something special. From the notes of rose and rooibos in red Muscadel to the charred oak flavour of honey-coloured Tawny wines, there is a dessert wine for every palate. ‘The best dessert wines are far more complex than just being sweet. A sophisticated interplay of fruit, acidity, and sweetness shows a skilled winemaker, and keeps a fortified wine from simply tasting like dessert,’ says Vinimark Education and Training Manager, Ginette de Fleuriot, who recently hosted a masterclass on fortified and dessert wines.
The technical prowess required to sustain the sophistication of local Late Harvests and dessert wines is not to be underestimated but these efforts are not without reward. Klein Constantia’s award-winning Vin de Constance is a natural sweet wine with a climbing price tag and a famous mention in Jane Austen’s Sense and Sensibility, where she calls it ‘a cure for a broken heart’ (not the 2020 vintage, of course).
‘The only person who can finish a bottle of Muratie’s Ben Prins Cape Vintage is Chuck Norris,’ says Rijk Melck, Managing Director at Muratie. With a typical alcohol content of up to 25%, fortified wines can also act as an alternative to a spirit and used accordingly: De Krans has produced a bottled P&T cocktail, pairing fortified wine with tonic water; Melck has designed the Tomb Raider cocktail, with a White Cape Vintage base.
This exciting twist reflects collective efforts to bring Late Harvests new relevance in 2024. The future of fortified wines in South Africa is looking bright. With history and innovation on its side, this category is primed to sustain the attention of a growing audience of consumers.
To learn more about wine trends, listen to Vinimark’s regular podcast on Spotify, or visit www.vinimark.co.za
