South African Wines

“Whatever South African wine you choose to drink, you cannot go wrong; they are all good”.

This line is today repeated like a mantra among connoisseurs and recreational wine drinkers alike. But it was not always so. About two centuries ago, wine critics from half way across the globe forsook the art of the British understatement to pass these damning verdicts: “Nothing is as bad in England as the wines of the Cape” and “wines (from South Africa) smell like bad potatoes”.

So, how did South African wines make it from appalling to appealing in what is a relatively short time?

To answer this question, it is necessary to take a quick look into the history of wine making in South Africa.
This part of the world joined the wine making club relatively late. The beginnings of wine production are lost in the mist of history; suffice it to say that ancient Greek heroes were getting tipsy on the fermented Mediterranean-grown grapes many centuries B.C. By contrast, the origins of South Africa-brand wines can be dated with absolute precision to 1652 A.D. and traced to one single man, the commander of Dutch contingent in Cape, Jan van Riebeeck.

Almost everything is known about van Riebeeck’s historic decision to start making wine in the Cape region. It is known that for vine stock he turned to the traditional growers in the Mediterranean region (France, Spain and Italy), that the first vines arrived in July 1655 and that on 2 February 1659 van Riebeeck sipped on the first wine ever pressed from the grapes harvested at the Cape. It is also known that the first harvest produced all of fifteen litres of wine. The only thing that is not known is why van Riebeeck chose to grow wine in that outlaying Dutch post in the first place – after all, he was merely charged with providing fresh water and food to the passing ships of Dutch East India Company!

Be that as it may, the people who settled on the tip of Southern Africa soon became quite enthusiastic about growing grapes and turning them into wine. The arrival of French Huguenots in the Cape Colony greatly buoyed up the local wine production. All in all, before the end of the 17th century sweet wines of Constantia became world famous and many a European royal refused to sit at a dining table that did not feature Constantia wines.

While Constanta and some other sweet wines made in South Africa continued to enjoy practically unblemished good reputation to modern days, other kinds of South Africa-brand wines had a very rough ride. With little support and no regulation, the vine farmers suffered from the fall of prices due to surplus production, and their wines suffered from being “fortified” with various unpalatable chemicals. Most of South African table wines were so ghastly that they qualified for export only when European nations went into war with each other. Thus, South African wine exports to Britain boomed during the Napoleonic wars. Alas, then the peace broke out…

About that time, another blight befell vine farmers in South Africa. At the end of the 19th century, the dreaded microscopic insect of the aphid family made its way from North America via Europe to this part of the world. The only solution was to eradicate and burn all the affected vines. The pest-resistant stock had to be imported from North America, and either grown on its own or with European vines grafted onto it.
The recovery of the vineyards did not translate into making better wines right away, nor did it happen automatically. It took the efforts of another single man, Charles Kohler, to put the South African wine industry on good footing. Kohler was instrumental in creating a vine farmers’ association in 1918. This organisation provided support mechanisms, production controls and price stability, placing the South African wine industry on the road to success.

Today, South Africa is the ninth biggest producer of wines worldwide. It holds fifth position in Britain – the very same country that scoffed at South African wines a mere couple of centuries ago. South African wine exports have been climbing steadily every year, reaching 280 million litres in 2005. In 1994 South Africa exported 50,6 million litres of wine.

All South African wines destined for export must have a licence, which is granted after samples of each batch are tested and analysed by the Wine & Spirit Board at Nietvoorbij, Stellenbosch. The Wine & Spirit Board gives an official seal to each bottle to verify the accuracy of the claims made on the label regarding origin, vintage and grape variety.

Vital statistics of South African wine industry

• Area under vineyards in South Africa: 101,957 hectares. White varieties account for 56 percent and the red ones for 44 percent. 
• Number of wine producers in South Africa: over 600.
• Number of South Africans who earn their livelihood from wine: over 256,000 people, employed directly and indirectly in the wine industry. About 59,000 of them work in the wine tourism.
• Estimated contribution of wine industry to South Africa’s GDP in 2009: R200 billion, plus R5 billion generated through wine tourism. Growth in contribution of the wine industry to the GDP has been at least 10 year per annum since 2003. The total GDP figure for South Africa for 2006 was R1,745 billion.
• South Africa in the world wine production: In 2005, South Africa produced 3 percent of the world's wine, ranking in the ninth place. Italy was first with 19,1 percent, France second with 18.5 percent and Spain third with 12.8 percent.

Wine, SA-style

Although South Africa is classed as a “new world” region, its wines are nicely balanced between the new world and old world styles. They are structured for elegance and food compatibility, with the best of them expressing distinctive varietal flavours – in other words, showing their local identity that gives character to a fine wine and makes it interesting. The most famous wine regions in South Africa are Stellenbosch, Paarl and Constantia, although cooler regions such as Walker Bay are beginning to attract attention of vine growers too. 
The language of the wine

Wine varietal: A varietal denotes that a specific wine has been primarily made from a single, named grape variety, which is usually displayed on the wine label. The most widely grown white varietals in South Africa are Chenin Blanc, Colombard, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The most popular reds are Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Pinotage. Pinotage, a local cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsaut (Hermitage) is unique to South Africa and is gaining increasing acceptance. Roobernet varietal is another product of local cross, this time between Cabernet Sauvignon and Pontac.

Wine bouquet: The various fragrances noted by smell, created by the development of wine from the fermentation and aging process, whether in barrel or bottle.

Dry wine: A wine with little or no noticeable sugar, usually containing less than 0.2 percent sugar. Opposite of a dry wine is not a wet wine, but sweet wine.

Fortified wine: A wine with the addition of brandy or other spirit. Fortified wines contain 15 to 24

Country wine: A wine of the quality level that is between table wine and quality wine.

Read more about South African wines on:

Wines of South Africa
South African Wine
Wine Magazine

Buy and sell South African wines on bidorbuy.co.za.