SOUTH AFRICA A curious new world in which wine is a tradition for about 300 years. I started my approach by trying to compare with Australia, but these encounters changed quite a bit my understanding of the subject. If a claim is that "New world" wines are an over-extracted juice of wood, this is absolutely not what I felt from my little experience with south-african stuff. From the bulk to the average league available around here, the wines were characterized by an emphasis of red fruit. Interesting declinations of the well known Cabernet(s), Merlot, Shiraz and others, more or less expected blends and a style consistant from many basic table wines to the medium league. The locally developped variety "Pinotage" granted me with different aspects. From low in body but delicately fruity nice little ones, to sophisticated complexely structured pearls as the "Beyerskloof". South africans are almost totally available only at wine-shops due to an apparent lack of kosher products. One last world about the ultra-cheap "Vendanges Tardives". Flies love the sugar in the glass but I found in these an interest equal to their price. So far : "c'est pas ça"...