The Best New World Syrah: After Eight Shiraz by Stellenrust

It’s well known that New World Syrah has little to do with that of Saint-Joseph and European Syrah in general. But it’s precisely from this distance that a journey can begin. And After Eight Shiraz by Stellenrust, 2020 vintage, may not be the final destination, but it’s one of those stops that makes you want to continue.

The name makes you smile. After Eight: eight in the evening or morning? I hope evening for those tasting, but I think you could even start in the morning with this wine, which isn’t light but indulgent. The label is minimal – a demijohn resting on a table, looking like a vintage photo or the basis for a Magritte painting.

Purchased from Wein & Co, an Austrian shop where they know their New World wines (and not only), this Shiraz reveals itself to be much more multifaceted than expected. But who makes the After Eight Shiraz by Stellenrust?

The Stellenrust Winery

If Stellenbosch is the viticultural heart of South Africa, Stellenrust is one of its main arteries. Founded in 1928, this family-run winery extends over 400 hectares between the Golden Triangle – land of intense reds – and the Bottelary Hills, where altitude and ocean breeze give elegance and freshness even to the whites. But the real turning point came in 2005, when brothers Kobie van der Westhuizen and Tertius Boshoff, after studying accounting and dentistry respectively (family rule dictates learning a “real” profession first), decided to take over the company. From there, Stellenrust not only grew, but began setting quality standards in the South African landscape, from Chenin Blanc to Shiraz, to méthode classique.

Meanwhile, the winery doesn’t lose sight of its social commitment: about twenty years ago, a quarter of the vineyards was ceded to longtime workers, who became shareholders and producers themselves. A model that merges production, responsibility and community – and tells the story of a South Africa looking forward. Meanwhile, Kobie dedicated himself to the vineyard and Tertius to the cellar, but both travel the world to explain their wines. Because Stellenrust is also communication: it tells of terroir, identity, craftsmanship and ambition. On the label, perhaps, but also in every glass.

For moments of creative freedom, however, there’s ArtiSons, their “alternative” line (of which After Eight is part), which breaks Stellenbosch’s patterns and allows itself digressions and rule-breaking. Here, Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon become abstract matter, vinifications become more audacious and territories and styles outside the canonical repertoire are explored. All with the same care and research spirit that drives their more classic wines. As if to say: if Stellenrust is art in a bottle, ArtiSons is abstract art.

After Eight Shiraz by Stellenrust: Tasting

The entry in the mouth is soft, almost crowd-pleasing. The wine presents itself with enveloping notes of cooked fruit and cocoa, in a style that seems to wink at those seeking comfort rather than tension. But the sip betrays: what seemed like a drawing room wine, curvy and comfortable, suddenly changes course. Acidity takes over, spice rises (black pepper, and lots of it), the tannins – medium but sandy – grip the gums decisively. It’s a climb guided by acidity and spiciness up to a peak of hardness and verticality.

The finish? Long, decisive, fresh. Mint returns, licorice appears, pepper remains. All on lips still marked by an acidity that doesn’t give up and that, indeed, invites another sip. It’s a wine that evolves in the glass, becomes better with passing time. Extremely satisfying, creates addiction.

Too bad only for the dish I guiltily paired it with: the tacos silently asked for another beverage.

As in the case of the article on Champagne by Colette and Gaston, here too we’re not talking about the absolute best New World Shiraz. But about a bottle you can afford, that stimulates, that intrigues and that – above all – never falls into the banal.

After Eight Shiraz is a red that tells the complexity of Stellenbosch without falling into clichés. Not a blockbuster, not a wine for Instagram likes, but a sanguine and changeable red, that requires attention and rewards those who dedicate it. A Shiraz that, while light years away from northern Rhône paradigms, manages to build its own identity — and if you’re curious about what Shiraz wine is and what it tastes like, this bottle offers a compelling answer. And it does so with elegance.

Even just for this, it’s worth the tasting.

Price: 24 euros. An excellent deal.

The Seaward Shiraz from Spier, tasted in Pordenone, is very good.