Cederberg Bukettraube 2024

We discovered this wine a few years ago when the owner/winemaker, David Nieuwoudt, visited Orlando. He was here, as all South African winemakers are, to visit the largest outlet for South African wines in the world outside of their country, Disney World. That’s right; they sell more South African wine than any account on the planet, and as a result, we get some small production stuff that very few other places ever see. A great example is this lovely white wine.

It comes from the region of Cederberg, which is a three-hour car ride north of Stellenbosch, high in the desert mountains. David Nieuwoudt’s family has farmed almost 10,000 acres since the mid-1800s and began making wine when the sanctions were lifted after apartheid. Why not? At almost 3000 feet above sea level, making wine in the desert means they have no need for any chemicals, which is good because this is also a nature preserve. Their climate is classified as “cool Mediterranean,” which allows them to grow a wide range of grape varieties, including this cool one, Bukketraube.

There are only a few hundred acres of this grape left in the world, which is a crossing of Sylvaner and Trollinger. It is susceptible to mildew, which is why it disappeared from its native Germany, but it thrives in this high-desert environment. It smells like a fruit cocktail: peaches, pineapple, and pears (no maraschino cherries) with electrifying acidity that pulls the whole mix into focus. Drink this with smoked salmon canapés, Pad Thai, or fried chicken.