INTRODUCTION & HISTORY

  • South African winehas a history dating back to 1659, with the first bottle produced in Cape Town by its founder Jan van Riebeeck.
  • The roots of the South African wine industry can be traced to the explorations of the Dutch East India Company, which established a supply station in what is now Cape Town. A Dutch surgeon, Jan van Riebeeck, was assigned the task of managing the station and planting vineyards to produce wines and grapes.
  • This was intended to ward off scurvyamongst sailors during their voyages along the spice route to India and the East. The first harvest was made on 2 February 1659 (as noted in Van Riebeeck’s log) seven years after the landing in 1652
  • There are about 60 appellationswithin the Wine of Origin (WO) system, which was implemented in 1973 with a hierarchy of designated production regions, districts and wards. WO wines must only contain grapes from the specific area of origin. “Single vineyard” wines must come from a defined area of less than 5 hectares.
  • An “Estate Wine” can come from adjacent farms if they are farmed together and wine is produced on site.
  • A ward is an area with a distinctive soil type or climate and is roughly equivalent to a European appellation.
  • In 1685, he purchased a large 750 hectares (1,900 acres) estate just outside Cape Town, establishing the Constantiawine estate. After Van der Stel’s death, the estate fell into disrepair, but was revived in 1778 when it was purchased by Hendrik Cloete.
  • the South African wine industry received minimal international attention in 20th
  • In 1990, less than 30% of all the grapes harvested were used for wine production meant for the consumer market with the remaining 70% being distilled into brandy, sold as table grapes and juice, or discarded. By 2003, the numbers had been reversed with more than 70% of the grapes harvested that year reaching the consumer market as wine.

CLIMATE AND GEOGRAPHY

  • South Africa is located at the tip of the African continent with most wine regions located near the coastal influences of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
  • The climate is marked by intense sunlight and dry heat. 
  • Winters tend to be cold and wet with potential snowfall at higher elevations. The threat of springtime frost is rare with most wine regions seeing a warm growing seasonbetween November and April. 
  • The Benguela currentfrom Antarctica brings cool air off the south Atlantic coast that allows the mean temperatures of the area to be lower than regions of comparable latitude.
  • A strong wind current, known as the Cape Doctor, brings gale force winds to the wine regions in the Cape which have the positive benefit of limiting the risk of various mildew and fungal grape diseaseas well as tempering humidity, but can also damage grapevines that are not protected
  • During the harvest months of February and March, the average daily temperatures in many South African wine regions is 23 °C (73 °F) with spikes up to 40 °C (104 °F) not uncommon in the warm inland river valleys around the BreedeOlifantsand Orange Rivers.
  • The wine regions of South Africa are spread out over the Westernand Northern Cape regions, covering 500 kilometres (310 mi) west to east and 680 kilometres (420 mi) north-south.
  • The soils of South Africa tend to retain moisture and drain well, having a significant proportion of clay(often at least 25% of the composition) with low pH levels around 4. The pH levels of the soils are often adjusted with lime and calcium
  • Near the river valleys, the soils are particularly lime rich with a high proportion of sand and shale

REGIONS OF SOUTH AFRICA

wine is grown throughout the Western Cape and in parts of the Northern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal and Eastern Cape regions

  • CONSTANTIA: in the summer where average daily temperatures fall between 18–19 °C (64–66 °F). The soil of the region is composed primarily of Table Mountain sandstonewith high concentrations of loam and granite. The area grows a wide range of grapes with Sauvignon blanc,
  • STELLENBOSCH: is responsible for around 14% of the country’s annual wine production. Vineyard soil types range from decomposed granite on the hillside near the mountains to sandyalluvialloam in the valleys near the rivers. The seven wards of Stellenbosch-BanghoekBottelaryDevon ValleyJonkershoek ValleyPapegaaibergPolkadraai Hills and Simonsberg-Stellenbosch – are well known for their red wine production- particularly Cabernet Sauvignon, MerlotPinotage and Shiraz. Simonsberg was the first wine ward to gain individual distinction. White wine production centres on Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc which are often blended together.
  • PAARL: The fortified wine produced in Paarl
  • FRANSCHHOEK VALLEY: includes some higher elevation vineyard sites which can produce full flavoured white wines with noticeable acidity Franschhoek will soon be South Africa’s first wine region to form a classification system (Appellation Grand Prestige) for its wines, with Semillon, Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon being identified as the area’s most tried-and-trusted grapes over a number of decades.
  • BREEDE RIVER VALLEY: is a warm climate region that can be very dry and arid in some places. Temperatures during the summer growing season are normally around 22 °C (72 °F). The Bonnievale ward is the most notable sub-region of Robertson, noted for its Chardonnay and Shiraz wines. produce sizeable amounts of fortified wine as well as Muscadel and Hanepoot based dessert wines. In recent years, the Slanghoek ward and the Breedekloof district have been successful growing botrytised and dry Sauvignon blanc wines. The Worcester district is home to nearly half of all the Semillon, and a third of Ruby Cabernet, planted in South Africa with sizeable plantings of Colombard and Chenin blanc.
  • OVERBERG: increased plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot noir. he maritime climateof Walker Bay and the cool, higher elevation vineyards of Elgin located east of Cape Town, have had success producing these varietals as well as Sauvignon blanc.
  • OTHER NOTABLE REGIONS: The Klein Karoo region (meaning Little Karoo) has a semi-desertclimate and was known mostly for sheep and ostrich farming. Wine production in the area is largely centred on fortified “port-style” wine and Muscadels. KwaZulu-Natal was designated as a Geographical Unit in 2005 and is one of South Africa‘s most recent wine regions. Current cultivars doing well in the growing wine region of KwaZulu-Natal are: Sauvignon Blanc, Pinotage, Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. With mild summer temperatures, the region boasts South Africa’s coolest vineyards. The Eastern Cape grows grapes include: Chardonnay, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Pinotage, Sauvingnon Blanc and Shiraz.

GRAPE VARIETIES

  • WHITE GRAPES: Sauvignon Blanc, and Chardonnay, Riesling,
  • RED GRAPES: Pinotage, Pinot Noir, Shiraz, Merlot, Petit Verdot, Semillon, Ruby Cabernet