The last wine has been tasted, nearly the last introduction written and the last technical sheet scrutinised for indexing: my involvement with the Platter guide for the 25th year will shortly be at an end.

If there is any instrument which reveals the state of our wine industry, it is this guide. As both a taster and the person responsible for indexing (‘This year’s rating summarised’ at the front of the guide), I get a particularly thorough insight. The latter task involves receiving and scrutinising every bit of paper for each wine, then making sure it is placed under the correct category and sub-category - organic, light and low alcohol (under 10%) and Kosher - where necessary.

But the most instructive information is to be found on the cover sheet of all these bits of paper, where each wine in the range is listed and, if not included with tasting samples sent, has a number against it indicating why not. Number 4 indicates that the wine is still selling, was tasted last year, so according to Platter regulations cannot be re-assessed. This and the number 3 – vintage/s skipped – were recurring themes this year, more so than ever before.

For instance, I was assigned 52 entries (rather than producers, as the KWV and its satellite ranges are listed separately), which, if all the wines had been submitted would have given me 429 to taste. Of that possible total, I received 301, including a handful of wines where two vintages were submitted, leaving those aside, the number is closer to 290. So, there were 139 wines where new vintages were not submitted, some for the second year in succession. Six producers, one with a range of ten wines, sent nothing at all. Very few sent a full complement.

It is ironic, if appropriate, that Platter’s main theme this year is sustainability; a theme that will be referred to not only in many of the introductions, but also by an icon for those wines which bear the new ‘integrity and sustainability’ sticker. Although producers were encouraged to reveal how they have improved social and economic sustainability of their business, most appear to have concentrated on the environment. As worthy as this is, and not before time, I believe sustainable practices have to be approached holistically.

The latest South African Wine Industry Directory 2010/2011* , a mine of information, includes an illuminating section on production costs across Vinpro’s nine regions (not the same as the Wine of Origin demarcations). Total production costs, which embrace everything from direct costs, labour, mechanisation, fixed improvements, general expenditures and provision for renewal and expressed as Rand per hectare for 2009, amounts to R31 820 in Stellenbosch down to R17 445 in Malmesbury. ‘More noteworthy’, reports SAWID, is the difference per ton. In the 2009 harvest year this ranged between the two extremes of R1 104/ton (Orange River) and R4 143/ton (Stellenbosch), figures explained in the main by each region’s average yield: 7.68 tons/hectare in Stellenbosch and 23.79 ton/ha in Orange River. These figures, which are broken down in some detail in the directory, don’t include packaging and marketing.

The cost/yield ratio in Stellenbosch highlights the vicious circle that concerns so many producers: low-yielding, virused vines, the problem compounded by low grape prices, which affects financial ability to renew vineyards with better quality stock.

But there’s no aspect from production to sale of wine that should be considered in isolation; all have an effect on sustainability. Surely this should be recognised by anyone before entering the industry.

If the business of wine paints a depressing picture, wine itself is in very fine shape. The majority vintages I tasted were 2007 reds and 2009 whites; both provide a wonderful selection. I’m notoriously mean about nominating wines for five stars; this year I became quite worried at those I kept finding worthy of such nomination. (I’ll be even more worried should the majority not make it!). Any wines that were not up to par stuck out like a sore thumb.

So, what stood out? First and foremost, André van Rensburg’s Vergelegen red wines; real classics that will appeal to anyone who appreciates wines that are ripe yet fresh and totally dry with tannins that owe more to the grape than the oak barrel and a structure that requires time to fully reveal the underlying complexity.. The three which I shall scrape and save to buy even a few bottles, are the Flagship 2005, cabernet sauvignon-based but with important input from cabernet franc (a star on these Schaapenberg slopes) and merlot; the Cabernet Franc-Merlot 2006 (it also has a dollop of cab sauv) and Merlot 2007 (yes, cabernet franc and petit verdot also play bit parts).

Given the current slow pace of sales (marketing at Vergelegen needs to play its sustainability role), I doubt whether these will be available before the middle of next year, but anyway I urge anyone wanting to lay down wines for their own, friends or loved-ones’ future enjoyment, not to pass by these.

If I’m a renewed fan of André’s reds, I’m an equally a fan of Tyrrel Myburgh for his understanding of that most mis-handled of white varieties, viognier. It’s a grape that features in the three dry white wines of his whole delightful Joostenberg range. ‘Delicate’ and ‘nuanced’ are not terms one can apply to most local viogniers - but this is what Tyrrel achieves. His approach is to pick at a variety of sugar levels and then to ferment without inoculating with cultured yeasts. The end result produces wines both delicious and interesting with none of the oily, high alcohol, sweet, over-oaked numbers that have turned off so many to the variety.

There’s more to tell but for now enjoy the photo I took of the Helderberg from the Devon Valley Hotel, just prior to the Platter five star tasting, in which the second photo depicts one of the three panels hard at work.

*SAWID is available for R200 from bookstores countrywide