Where do you find these wines in GA? Letters to Jane Garvey March 16th, 2006 Southern Hemisphere Wines

But let's remember that the latitudes flip, and that wine-growing latitudes repeat themselves on the other side of the planet. You know what happens when you hang a left in Tasmania? You hit Antarctica, that's what. Tasmania gets cold! That's why it produces terrific Rieslings and Pinot Gris, along with Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Sure there are warm zones in Australia, notably the Barossa and Hunter Valley, but within the Barossa, one finds cooler Clare and Eden valleys, offering outstanding Rieslings, requiring cooler circumstances.

Recently, someone asked me if there was any wine-growing on the South Island of New Zealand. I had to shake my head in disbelief, as my interlocutor is a well-educated, wine-knowledgeable world traveler. While there are plenty of wineries on the North Island, (which is closer to the equator), the South Island is awash in wine. Would John Kemble have headed there from California, where he made Zinfandel for Ravenswood, if the North Island's climatic circumstances were counterproductive for winegrowing? Hardly. Or what about Rudi Bauer, who went from Austria to Central Otago (South Island) to make sparkling wine and Pinot Noir at Quarts Reef? The bounty of rich vines will go to these first explorers. Mr. Bauer plans to plant some of Austria's Gruner Veltliner in this rolling land once settled by intrepid gold miners, and gets positively impish thinking about it. Central Otago is New Zealand's youngest and farthest south wine growing region (at 45 degrees S).

While there are indeed wines from this part of the globe, many believe that they're not very good and/or they're just simple cheap sipping quaffs. Despite the availability of gallons of frankly awful sugared-up cheap sips unworthy of my palate (or yours) at any price, Australia has finally managed to break through the glass ceiling in this department. Surely no one looks at Australia as home to nothing but the bottom of the wine trough any longer, thanks largely to Grange among many others. New Zealand, to its credit, never messed with this category of wine once it turned down the road past the sweet stuff favored by the 19th century patron both there and in Australia. Thusly, the Kiwis have never had to explain or defend their pricing or their values in wine.

But what about South Africa? Yes, there are many inexpensive wines, but does anybody holding this view really think Zelma Long makes wine in South Africa because she's into simple quaffing wines? The legendary Simi winemaker works now on the Vilafonte project in Stellenbosch, in collaboration with her spouse, Phillip Freese, who manages the viticulture, and marketing manager Mike Ratcliffe of South Africa's Warwick Estate. Ratcliffe's mother, Norma, was South Africa's first woman winemaker. The wines are Bordeaux blends with a South African accent. "Brilliant," as these folks would say.

In South America, there are French, Swiss (Casa Lapostole) Italian (Valentin Bianchhi), Old English (Bodegas Norton) and Californian (Paul Hobbs, for instance) influences behind these operations plunking down beaucoup bucks to produce wines that hardly could be categorized as "simple quaffers." Additionally, longstanding wineries, such as Santa Rita, have taken sure-footed aim at the next level. Wine-making and wine grape growing now also take place in Brazil and in Uruguay, the latter home to large plantings of Tannat in a land where many winemakers are of Italian background.

So figuring that geography and climate are a bit foreign to many folks, even the well-schooled among us, I thought it a good plan to skim the Southern Hemisphere and present some good choices from this part of the planet.

The following selections by no means represent even a scratching of the surface in wines from the Southern Hemisphere that merit serious attention. It's a "get you started" kind of list that I earnestly hope will stimulate exploration. And if you're already familiar with these regions, perhaps these are selections that lead you to think "outside the box" with respect to them.

Jane Garvey

Food Pairings: Dishes with exotic spices: Indonesian chicken; curried dishes (but not hot); Indian fare that's not wicked hot; cous cous either as a hot dish or as a salad; chipotle-accented dishes if not too hot (Whole Foods' chipotle chicken salad); Country Captain; crawfish cakes or grilled shrimp with mildly seasoned remoulade sauce; Argentines would serve this with empanadas or locro, a corn/potatopumpkin soup (with or without meat) that has a hot sauce served on the side to taste.

Price: $16
Wholesaler: Unique World Wines

Food Pairings: Crab and red pepper pаte'; chorizo, pimento cheese, shrimp with not-too-spicy remoulade or tomato-and-onion pickled shrimp; grilled chicken with pico de gallo, barbecued chicken (mild tomato-based sauce); Whole Foods' chipotle chicken salad (very good!); grilled or roasted pork tenderloin; enchiladas; fajitas with shrimp or chicken; Brunswick stew; mildly seasoned Indian vegetarian dishes, meat-filled empanadas, sausage and peppers; chicken or pork satay with peanut sauce

Price: $17
Wholesaler: Unique World Wines

Food Pairings: Mildly flavored light foods: eggplant baked with crumbs and pine nuts; portobello mushrooms with pasta (either hot or as a salad with light olive oil/vinegar dressing); grilled salmon or tuna (perfect!); grilled chicken red pepper sausages; mild curries (Indonesian Style); chicken or pork satay; roasted Cuban-style mojo-marinated pork; roast chicken or turkey; grilled quail

Price: $17
Wholesaler: United Distributors

*"East Coast" is a new appellation (about 1 1/2 years old) that in this case blends fruit from Hawke's Bay (North Island) and Marlborough (South Island).

Food Pairings: Salamis, chorizo, peppered or plain creamy liver pate'; smoked meats (Patak's smoked liverwurst, awesome!), chicken or veal al Marsala, meat-filled empanadas, roasted or grilled tenderloin of bee6 with chimichurri sauce (garlic, parsley, olive oil), assertively flavored pasta dishes (lots of garlic); grilled portobello mushrooms; grilled sweetbreads, lamb, roast duck; cheese (especially soft blue-veined cheeses)

Price: $33
Wholesaler: Bacco Fine Wine

Darling Cellars Onyx Shiraz 2003
Darling, Western Coast, South Africa

Score: 93 Points

Tasting Notes: Medium-bodied dry red wine; medium-deep ruby garnet. Aromas of dark fruits with a slight sawdust overlay, suggesting American oak, with flavors that seem pretty evolved and vinous, away from primary fruit flavors. As wine opens, a firm core of brown spices--cinnamon/allspice--opens in mid palate. Fairly firm tannin that soften with decanting plus a long finish. A bit medicinal (but not unpleasantly so) in the end that disappears completely with decanting. South Africa was the first to use the term Shiraz, as prisoners on their way to Australia left both vine cuttings and the term. 15 months in French oak barrels. Absolutely needs decanting to breathe and open up, at least 30 minutes ahead of serving. A great 2nd day wine. Potential for cellaring 5-8 years. Cool room temperature, about 50 degrees.

Food Pairings: Patak's smoked liverwurst, peppered pаte', grilled steak with Gorgonzola or Cabrales cheese sauce; grilled lamb rib chops, beef quesadillas; Cuban-style mojo-marinated roast pork; roast turkey; babootie (a South African layered casserole), eggplant baked with crumbs and pine nuts, grilled Cornish hen or quail, mild semi-soft cheeses

Price: $18
Wholesaler: United Distributors

Food Pairings: Full-flavored foods: Peppered liver pвtй; steak au poivre or with chimichurri sauce; grilled lamb; steak or braised beef dishes; roast duck; prime rib; Southern-style barbecued ribs with mild tomato-vinegar sauce (surprise!); mild firm aged cheeses (raw-milk Cheddar; Parrano; aged Gruyere; aged Parmesan)

Price: $50
Wholesaler: Empire Distributing