Like many South Africans, I make sure to stock up on sherry before winter hits, especially after being caught without any during the winter of the Covid lockdown. 

There’s something about sipping a warming glass of Old Brown Sherry that takes the chill off a winter’s evening, makes the fireplace glow brighter, and conversation flow.

My love for fortified wines began in childhood – well before I was old enough to drink them, thanks to my mother, who grew up in the village of McGregor. 

Long before it became the trendy weekend escape it is today, McGregor was a dusty, grape-scented village where muscadel reigned supreme.

Back then, we’d join the Saturday morning queue at the local co-op, alongside farm labourers still paid with the “dop system” with sweet white wine. 

Armed with a couple of empty five-litre glass bottles, (aka known as a “vyf-man can” by locals) we’d fill up straight from the muscadel vats for a few cents. It was a sweet syrupy, golden liquid treasure in our home.

Fast forward to today, and South Africa’s sweet wines have swapped farm co-ops for international award podiums, with the Robertson Valley being the centre of the local industry.

From sherry-style blends to rich ports and velvety muscadels, local fortified wines have been scooping gold medals and outperforming their Spanish and Portuguese counterparts on the global stage.

My late father, a tour guide with a love for local stories, once took a busload of Portuguese tourists to Muratie Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. The group tasted the Muratie Port and promptly bought every last bottle as it was superior to their own Portuguese Port.

In keeping with family tradition, I always keep a cut-glass decanter filled with Old Brown Sherry (OBS) on standby for guests – who are none the wiser that they’re sipping the humble South African staple.

@official.nilla Replying to @dlaminintokozo22 ♬ Bill It To The Room – Nilla Allin

South Africa’s beloved OBS isn’t technically a sherry at all. True sherry comes from the Jerez region in Spain and is made primarily from the Palomino grape.

Our version is a blend of local white varietals like Chenin Blanc and Colombard, aged in oak to give it that brown hue and rich flavour.

And what about port and muscadel? Port originates in Portugal’s Douro Valley and is traditionally made by fortifying red wine with brandy before fermentation is complete, resulting in a sweet, high-alcohol treat. 

South African ports (now called fortified wines due to naming laws) are every bit as robust and complex, and equally suited to pairing with a cheeseboard or dark chocolate.

Muscadel, meanwhile, is our local hero. Made from Muscat grapes and fortified to preserve their natural sugars, it’s best served slightly chilled, preferably with a dessert, or instead of one. Rich, fragrant and honeyed, it’s the drink equivalent of a nostalgic hug.

As a general rule, sherry is perfect as an aperitif, especially the drier styles 

Sweet styles like OBS and muscadel, on the other hand, are ideal post-dinner, best sipped slowly and appreciatively. Port, depending on the style, can work both before and after, though most of us prefer it as a rich after-dinner finisher.

So next time you pour a glass of something sweet and strong to beat the cold, know that you’re part of a long tradition. 

If it happens to be a South African fortified wine, you’re also sipping something world-class, no matter what the label says.

IOL Lifestyle

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