Neil Pendock speaks to Dana Buys from Franschhoek producer Vrede en Lust

What's happening to the Franschhoek appellation - it's suddenly growing?

Franschhoek is a ward of Paarl and will become a region in its own right. A ward is normally more homogenous in terms of terroir. The Franschhoek ward contains diverse soils and meso-climates, so a region makes sense. The debate about where the Franschhoek region starts and ends is a heated one. It will be up to the WO demarcation committee to make the final call. My view is that the valley south of the N1 should be called the Franschhoek Valley. It is a compact 20km long, which is very short compared to the 56km Napa Valley.

Your coffee/mocha malbec is causing waves. Is this a serious wine?

The Mocholate malbec 2009 (1500 cases of 9l) is now sold out at cellar door and we hope to release the 2010 vintage by October. It is made in a lighter, easier drinking style, while still highlighting the great berry and cherry flavours of our malbec. In 2010, the focus has been on preserving the fruit character. We make wines to be enjoyed by the public and they have voted with their wallets.

Your thoughts on vintage 2010?

We are very happy with the wines in the cellar. We took a 50% hit in our Elgin vineyards due to November wind damage. Our winemaker, Susan Erasmus, made a small batch of pinot grigio from our Elgin grapes, as well as four barrels of Elgin shiraz and a barrel-fermented Elgin chenin. All of these wines are small volume, exciting wines that will be available only at the cellar door and to our wine club members. Susan commented that her 2010 reds from our Simonsberg-Paarl vineyards are the best ever.

How are SA sales in the US going?

Slowly. The US recession hit wine sales quite hard, with a significant impact on imported wines. I am happy to report that the local industry and Wosa are working together closely regarding the US market, with a key Manhattan event planned for May 11. It will be the first major showcase of South African wines in the US. I think the timing is solid, as the recession is lifting and South Africa has a lot to offer across the range. The strong rand makes it tougher, but it's also a problem for the Aussies and Kiwis.