NEW RELEASES | Alsace to Cape South Coast and Voor Paardeberg: The wines of Julien and Sophie Schaal

It's not often that we get French winemakers making South African wine, especially top-rated Grand Cru Alsace Riesling winemakers, making "cool climate" South African Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and NOW, Voor-Paardeberg Chenin and Syrah. (Inverted commas because OUR cool climate does not come close to THEIR cool climate - though it's all relative.) 

I met Julien and Sophie Schaal a week ago at Clarke's in the city, where they were introducing their South African wines to trade, meaning Julien's Mountain Vineyards Chardonnay (already sold out) and Pinot Noir and Sophie's Born of Fire Syrah, and Chenin Blanc.

The couple are a jovial pair of French winemakers, Julien from Alsace, in the east of France on the border of Germany, with the Rhine River separating the two countries, and Sophie, from Burgundy. They're so NICE that you don't understand the true gravity of the situation until you start doing your research…