With Hartenberg’s Feast of Shiraz & Charcuterie coming up end of May, I chatted to Hartenberg winemaker Carl Schultz on the ins and outs of this bold red.

Carl Schultz is winemaker at Hartenberg Estate, widely regarded as one of South Africa’s oldest and leading producers of Shiraz for more than 40 years. The Hartenberg Feast of Shiraz and Charcuterie is a wine-lovers highlight, where Carl hand-picks a select group of winemakers to showcase their wines. I tracked Carl down to learn more about this bold red wine.

What can you expect to smell and taste in a typical Shiraz? A whole range of diffferent aromas and smells. Depending on which soils or region the vineyards grow in, one can find aromas described as dark-fruited like cassis, pums, cherries and violets, to descriptors like white or black pepper, spices and earthy characters. Shiraz has a lower natural acidity and can give an impression of fruit sweetness because of this (even though the wine is dry).