| Wine & Wineland | ||
| Wine History | ||
| Early Days | ||
| The very first vineyard was planted by Jan van Riebeeck to supply the eastward bound ships of the Dutch East-India Company. In 1659 he wrote his famous report: “Today, praise the Lord, wine was pressed from Cape grapes for the first time.” Still, the man who firmly established the wine industry in the Cape was his successor governor Simon van der Stel, who founded Stellenbosch after surveying its fertile soils. Until today elegant and oak-lined Stellenbosch is considered a focal point of quality winemaking. Van der Stel also established the magnificent Groot Constantia. He was dismayed by the poor quality of wine production and determined to teach the farmers (Boers) by example. It was also his idea to ask the Dutch East-India Company to provide free passage to the Cape for any French Huguenot refugee with experience of wine farming. Roughly 200 men were shipped over, and sent out to establish farms, first to the region of Paarl and then to 'Oliphantshoek' that later became known as 'Franschhoek'. Van der Stel may be regarded as the father of the South African wine industry. | ||
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| 18th and 19th century |
| The wine industry developed slowly throughout the 18th century. The quality of some Cape wines still left much to be desired and a critical shortage of oak vats made it difficult to age and export wine properly. Constantia´s luscious dessert wines won high acclaim throughout Europe, but the industry in general still struggled to identify the best varieties for each district and to adapt winemaking techniques to local conditions. The first half of the 19th century brought prosperity to the industry. The British occupation of the Cape, in addition to Britain's war with France, created a large new market for Cape wines. However, in 1861 wine exports collapsed with the end of the Anglo-French war. In 1886, the disease phylloxera destroyed millions of vines at the Cape and with the beginning of the Boer War, the wine industry was in chaos. A proliferation of new plantings caused overproduction and 25 years of hardship followed until in 1918, the KWV-cooperative was created. As an umbrella for its farmer members, the KWV brought stability to the industry by bolstering prices and production. |
| The New South Africa | ||
| Since the end of Apartheid in 1994, over 40% of the South African vineyards have been replanted moving successfully from volume production to noble cultivars and quality wines. Foremost dominated by white grape varieties the trend now is towards a more market-driven balance between white and red. More than 80% of all new plantings were red, with shiraz, cabernet and merlot at the top of the list. There are virtually no bad wines, but the real gems are the tiny estate-bottled vintages (boutique wines) often sold in South Africa only. Many of these are superb, with full-bodied, slightly smoky reds and lightly scented whites oozing fruity undertones. For foreigners unfamiliar with the names, the wine list becomes an intensely pleasurable adventure. A passionate new generation of winemakers is competing with confidence on the world wine stage and rewarded with prestigious medals at international wine competitions. Noble varieties include Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Pinot Noir. The best known local crossing and emerging star is Pinotage. | ||
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