350 Years of Winemaking in South Africa

    South Africa is both the continent’s leading producer (seventh in the world) and the source of Africa’s finest wines. Not quite twice as large as Texas, South Africa is bordered on the north by Namibia, Botswana and Zimbabwe and on the east by Mozambique and Swaziland. With about 1,800 miles of coastline, it is the only wine region in the world sandwiched between two oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian.

    The fertile green valleys of the Cape Winelands are surrounded by proud mountain ranges. It is the Mediterranean climate and winter rainfall of the Western Cape that produces some of the best wines in the world. The wine regions of Swartland, Paarl, Franschhoek and Stellenbosch have become world famous for their incredible wines.

    The father of the South African wine industry was a 33-year-old Dutch surgeon intent on developing a cure for scurvy. Jan van Riebeek, the Cape’s first European settler, was a reluctant pioneer, and no viticulturist. His mission in South Africa was to set up a supply station for the Dutch East India Company sailors on the spice routes, halfway between his home country, Holland, and the Orient trading ports in India and China.

    Since the climate was like that of the Mediterranean, he thought it might be hospitable to grapes. His early attempts were all failures, but seven years after sailing into Table Bay, he recorded in his diary “Today, praise be to God, wine was pressed for the first time from Cape grapes.” That was on Feb. 2, 1659 — and the rest, as they say, is history.

    A few years later, a band of Huguenots from France landed with extensive wine-making knowledge, and grapes began to flourish, the wine improved dramatically, and commercial wine production began. Wines from Constantia became world famous in the 1800s winning medals at major expositions.

    A major setback to the wine industry was the period of apartheid in the 1900s, and many countries, including the U.S., refused trade with South Africa and the wine industry declined. After that ended, the first wines being exported were poor in quality, but over the last 10 years there has been dramatic improvement. They are, once again, recognized worldwide.

    All of the major grape varieties are produced in South Africa: Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz. But two varietals are unique to South Africa: Pinotage and Steen. The Pinotage is a cross breed between Pinot Noir and Cinsault developed in 1925 at Stellenbosch University. The wine it produces is often scorned for its harsh, rustic, coarse and sometime sweetish aroma, but newer vinification techniques have tamed the South African beast and current Pinotage releases are praised for a rich, long-lasting fruitiness. Steen is the same grape variety produced elsewhere under the name of Chenin Blanc. Popular in the Loire Valley of France where it is produced in Vouvray and also grown in California, Steen is a flowery, soft and fruity white wine that reaches its ultimate in the rich valleys of South Africa.

    There are many excellent examples of the wines of South Africa now available on our retailer’s shelves. They are outstanding buys in terms of their quality and represent the dramatic change in winemaking in South Africa that has taken place in the last 20 years. Try them, you’ll like them.