South Africa

Where the old world (Europe) meets the new world, this is how many people describe South African wines. There's something to be said for this too, because wines from this country often strike a lovely balance between having the bright fruit so typical of a new world country but an elegance so typical of the old world.

South African wines are quickly gaining a good reputation from all sorts of well-known grape varieties, but it has a couple that it would probably regard as specialities. The first is a red grape called Pinotage which makes a full-on, peppery and spicy wine, and there's been a recent fashion among producers to enhance this grape's natural coffee characters too.

As for white wines, Chenin Blanc has laid serious foundations in South Africa even though it's native to the Loire Valley in France. However, South African Chenin Blanc's difference lies in its texture and more rounded, peachy characters, a reflection of its warmer climate compared to northern France.

Meanwhile,  South African Sauvignon Blanc can be some of the finest expressions of elegant, gooseberry and herbaceous fruit you can find in the new world, and indeed the world.  For red wines, the spicy Shiraz, fleshy Merlot and blackcurrant-laden Cabernet Sauvignon seem to be perfectly suited to a number of regions on the South African winemaking map.

Finally, from an ethical point of view, it's also worth remembering that South Africa is very proud to be one of the biggest winemaking country participants in linking up with the Fairtrade Foundation.