Region: Swartland, RSA Variety: Syrah Organic farming During the apartheid, the South African wine industry was completely dominated by one organisation which controlled everything from production to price, so it has only been since the early 1990s that independent winemakers have begun to emerge. One such producer is Craig Hawkins. Crafting wine in the Swartland he is helping reimagine South African wine. Craig's wines are complex and bewilder the bureaucracy such that he has occasionally been denied export certification due to his wines lacking ‘typicity’. His wines eschew convention in search of expression, resulting in unique, exciting experiences. 'There is a great purity of fruit this year and even though the wine is of lighter touch it has great depth. The nose is rather subdued – subtle notes of red and black fruit, flowers and white pepper. Darkly floral: violets and white pepper sail on a sea of crunchy red fruit. Slippery tannins and pure, precise fruit seam together effortlessly with a super finish. ' - Christian Eedes, Winemag