Old Brown Sherry: Why South Africa's unique local fortified wine still warms our hearts
Like many South Africans, I make sure to stock up on sherry before winter hits, especially after being caught without any during the winter of the Covid lockdown.
There's something about sipping a warming glass of Old Brown Sherry that takes the chill off a winter's evening, makes the fireplace glow brighter, and conversation flow.
My love for fortified wines began in childhood - well before I was old enough to drink them, thanks to my mother, who grew up in the village of McGregor.
Long before it became the trendy weekend escape it is today, McGregor was a dusty, grape-scented village where muscadel reigned supreme.
Back then, we'd join the Saturday morning queue at the local co-op, alongside farm labourers still paid with the 'dop system' with sweet white wine.
Armed with a couple of empty five-litre glass bottles, (aka known as a "vyf-man can" by locals) we'd fill up straight from the muscadel vats for a few cents. It was a sweet syrupy, golden liquid treasure in our home.
Fast forward to today, and South Africa's sweet wines have swapped farm co-ops for international award podiums, with the Robertson Valley being the centre of the local industry.
From sherry-style blends to rich ports and velvety muscadels, local fortified wines have been scooping gold medals and outperforming their Spanish and Portuguese counterparts on the global stage.
My late father, a tour guide with a love for local stories, once took a busload of Portuguese tourists to Muratie Wine Estate in Stellenbosch. The group tasted the Muratie Port and promptly bought every last bottle as it was superior to their own Portuguese Port.
In keeping with family tradition, I always keep a cut-glass decanter filled with Old Brown Sherry (OBS) on standby for guests - who are none the wiser that they're sipping the humble South African staple.
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