2020 The Sadie Family Wines, Palladius, Swartland, South Africa

There are over 200 different grape varieties used in modern wine making (from a total of over 1000). Most lesser known blends and varieties are traditional to specific parts of the world.

After Stellenbosch, the west coast district of Swartland (25 miles north of Cape Town, between the towns of Malmesbury and Piketberg) now ranks as the Cape's most exciting wine district. Its ancient geology has brought a mix of shale, arenite sandstone and granite soils air-conditioned by the Atlantic Ocean nearby. Chenin Blanc and Shiraz seem to do best, as exemplified by Eben Sadie and Mullineux.