Is South Africa producing VALUE Wines?

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I have used the following glass from my partner Spiegelau in this video:
SPIEGELAU Definition White Wine / Bordeaux Glass – Get it here: https://www.spiegelau.com/de-de/kollektionen/definition?mtm_campaign=2026_cont_ec_baum&mtm_source=yt&mtm_medium=sma&mtm_content=feed&mtm_group=bgw&mtm_placement=link

I have tasted the following wines in this Video:
2023 Buitenverwachting Bayten Maximus, Constantia, South Africa
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/buitenver+bayten+maximus+constantia+coastal+western+cape+south+africa/2023?referring_site=KSB

2023 Draaiboek Kinkel, Elgin, South Africa
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/draaiboek+kinkel+elgin+cape+south+coast+western+africa/2023?referring_site=KSB

2024 Sakkie Mouton Revenge of the Crayfish, Olifants River Valley, South Africa
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/sakkie+mouton+revenge+the+cray+fish+olifants+river+valley+western+cape+south+africa/2024?referring_site=KSB

2024 Wolf and Woman Pinotage, Swartland, South Africa
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/wolf+woman+pinotage+swartland+coastal+western+cape+south+africa/2024?referring_site=KSB

2024 Rall Wines Syrah, South Africa
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/rall+sra+swartland+coastal+western+cape+south+africa?referring_site=KSB

2023 Beaumont Family Wines Raoul’s Red, Bot River, South Africa
https://www.wine-searcher.com/find/beau+mont+fmly+raul+red+river+walker+bay+cape+south+coast+western+africa/2023?referring_site=KSB

I use this wine key: Forge de Laguiole Ebony

The 100 Point Scoring System (from www.robertparker.com):
96-100: An extraordinary wine of profound and complex character displaying all the attributes expected of a classic wine of its variety. Wines of this caliber are worth a special effort to find, purchase and consume.
90 – 95: An outstanding wine of exceptional complexity and character. In short, these are terrific wines.
80 – 89: A barely above average to very good wine displaying various degrees of finesse and flavor as well as character with no noticeable flaws.
70 – 79: An average wine with little distinction except that it is soundly made. In essence, a straightforward, innocuous wine.
60 – 69: A below-average wine containing noticeable deficiencies, such as excessive acidity and/or tannin, an absence of flavor or possibly dirty aromas or flavors.
50 – 59: A wine deemed to be unacceptable.

We all want to drink great wine … Right?! But we all don’t have great wine money … well, most of us at least.

I am pretty sure Johnny Depp sometimes watches my videos sipping on his mega pint of Petrus. Fortunately, there is still a lot of great wine available at fairly affordable prices. You just have to know where to look for it. And today we are looking at South Africa.

South Africa is the 8th largest wine producer in the world by volume, and the industry is experiencing a major renaissance since the early 1990s after decades of political isolation and inconsistent wine quality. Vineyard area has declined to 86 544 hectares of vines prod (https://www.wosa.co.za/the-industry/statistics/world-statistics/), with fewer growers and wineries, but an increasing focus on quality over quantity.

Wine production began in 1659 under Jan van Riebeeck, the Cape’s first European settler. Simon van der Stel founded the famous Constantia estate in 1685 and during the 18th and early 19th centuries, Constantia sweet wines were among Europe’s most prestigious wines.

The Benguela Current cools the Cape, making it much cooler than its latitude suggests. Coastal influence, elevation, and diverse soils create excellent terroir for high-quality wines.
Coastal vineyards enjoy long, slow ripening seasons, while inland areas are much warmer.

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