With the help of the producers and their importers, Dearing and I assembled wines from as many of the ‘New Wavers’ at that original London tasting as we could (not all of them had wines left from 2015 to submit) – Alheit, Badenhorst, Beaumont, Boekenhoutskloof, Craven, Crystallum, David & Nadia, DeMorgenzon, Keermont, Lismore, Miles Mossop, Momento, Mullineux, Porseleinberg, Rall, Reyneke, Restless River, Sadie Family, Savage, Solms Delta, Storm, The Foundry, Thorne & Daughters – and a few more besides. The tasting group, made up of some of the professionals most instrumental in raising the profile of South African fine wine, tasted 78 bottles across 12 blind flights in the Sussex Cellar at 3. St. James’s Street, kindly lent to us by Berry Bros. & Rudd (semi-blind for me; I knew the wines in the line-up but not the order in which they were poured).

It is difficult to generalise about the characteristics of the 2015 vintage – given we were tasting wines from so many different grape varieties and regions – but what is beyond doubt is its overall outstanding quality; the thrilling vibrancy of the wines, irrespective of grape or region. On multiple occasions, we had to remind ourselves that we were tasting ten-year-old wines. The words ‘energy’ and ‘freshness’ pervade my notes, and I’ve had to do some editing to avoid repetition in my top wines from the tasting, featured below.

That said, cork quality – the biggest concern of the producers before the tasting – proved to be inconsistent, and we had to open several second bottles on the day (either due to cork taint or oxidation). Much has changed in the last decade in terms of access to high-quality cork in the South African wine industry, as well as improvements in QC measures and technology, while some producers have moved to Diam closures, so this bottle variability is a diminishing risk.

While the most striking aspect of the day was the breadth, depth, and diversity of the New Wave wines and their sheer quality and youthfulness, there were standout grapes and regions. Taken on the group’s average scores, Syrah was the top red grape variety and Chenin Blanc the top white, with the Swartland Syrah flight the best performing flight of the day, followed by the Swartland Chenin flight. Our high expectations for the two grapes which have defined the New Wave movement were more than met.

The pre-eminence of the Swartland amongst the 2015s makes sense given the revolution in quality wine production in this region started with Eben Sadie at the turn of the century and was arguably the catalyst for what we have come to call the New Wave movement across the Cape. The Swartland wines in the tasting were consistently both compelling and terroir-driven.

Turning to Chenin Blanc and Semillon – two key heritage varieties in South Africa – my top wines are almost exclusively from old vineyards, whether their origin is the Swartland, Stellenbosch or Franschhoek, a legacy for which we must thank viticulturist (and old vine protector) Rosa Kruger. The quiet but burning intensity of these low-yielding vines shone through for me, even in the blind tasting format.

The most exciting point to note is that 2015 was a transitional time for many of these producers; they were young, typically in their early-to-mid thirties, sometimes working in suboptimal circumstances, some making their own wines as a side hustle on top of their day jobs at established wineries, still trying to strike longer term deals with growers or attempting to buy their own vineyards; they were finding their voices as winemakers. And yet they created wines brim-full of character and vitality in 2015, wines which are ageing beautifully and still, in many cases, have years ahead of them. What this tasting proved, with glorious clarity, is that these producers now have a track record, and a track record to be proud of.

The 12 flights were: Pinot Noir; Mediterranean Single Varietal; Mediterranean Red Blends; Syrah Cape South Coast; Syrah Stellenbosch; Syrah Swartland; Bordeaux Single Varietal and Red Blends; Chardonnay; Chenin Blanc Stellenbosch and other origins; Chenin Blanc Swartland; Cape White Blends; Sauvignon/Semillon Blends and Single Varietal. All 78 wines were opened, put in blind bags and poured directly to the tasters by the team at BB&R. If any wines were faulty or not showing their best, we requested a second bottle. The shortcomings of this method were most evident on the Syrah, Chenin Blanc and Semillon flights, when all wines would have benefited from decanting.

Victoria Mason MW’s top 20 ‘New Wave’ wines from 2015