Western Cape wine
Encyclopedia
South African wine
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659, and at one time Constantia was considered one of the greatest wines in the world. Access to international markets has unleashed a burst of new energy and new investment. Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and...
. Corresponding to the province of Western Cape
Western Cape
The Western Cape is a province in the south west of South Africa. The capital is Cape Town. Prior to 1994, the region that now forms the Western Cape was part of the much larger Cape Province...
it includes most of the vineyards in South Africa.
Style
The wines of the Western Cape range from sturdy Rhone-style red wines to aromatic Sauvignon BlancSauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
s in vineyards cooled by breezes off the Atlantic.
History
On 2 February 1659 the founder of Cape Town, Jan van RiebeeckJan van Riebeeck
Johan Anthoniszoon "Jan" van Riebeeck was a Dutch colonial administrator and founder of Cape Town.-Biography:...
, produced the first wine recorded in South Africa. In 1685, the Constantia
Constantia, Cape Town
Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain. Constantia Nek is a low pass linking to Hout Bay in the west.-History:Constantia is...
estate was established in a valley facing False Bay by the Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel. His 'Vin de Constance' soon acquired a good reputation. But it was Hendrik Cloete, who bought the homestead in 1778, who really made the name of Constantia famous, with an unfortified wine made from a blend of mostly Muscat de Frontignan (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of Vitis vinifera. Its name comes from its characteristic small berry size and tight clusters...
), Pontac, red and white Muscadel (probably clones of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of Vitis vinifera. Its name comes from its characteristic small berry size and tight clusters...
??) and a little Chenin Blanc. It became a favourite tipple of European kings and emperors, from Frederick the Great to Napoleon. But the vineyards were decimated by phylloxera
Phylloxera
Grape phylloxera ; originally described in France as Phylloxera vastatrix; equated to the previously described Daktulosphaira vitifoliae, Phylloxera vitifoliae; commonly just called phylloxera is a pest of commercial grapevines worldwide, originally native to eastern North America...
, the Cloete family were bankrupted, and Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia
Groot Constantia is the oldest wine estate in South Africa and national monument in the suburb of Constantia in Cape Town, South Africa."Groot" in Dutch and Afrikaans translates as "great" in English.-History:...
was sold to the government as an experimental station. In 1980 Duggie Jooste bought Klein Constantia
Klein Constantia
Klein Constantia is a wine estate in the suburb of Constantia in Cape Town, South Africa.-Foundation:Groot Constantia was established in 1684 by the VOC Governor of the Cape Simon van der Stel, and was used to produce wine as well as other fruit and vegetables and cattle farming...
, redeveloped it, and is now selling a new version of Vin de Constance
Constantia (wine)
Constantia, or vin de Constance, is a South African dessert wine. It is made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains grapes grown in the district of Constantia, south of Cape Town. In the eighteenth and nineteenth centuries it was widely exported to Europe...
made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains
Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains is a white wine grape that is a member of the Muscat family of Vitis vinifera. Its name comes from its characteristic small berry size and tight clusters...
.
The Franschhoek Valley was settled over 300-years ago by the French Huguenots
Huguenots in South Africa
A large number of people in South Africa are descended from Huguenots. Most of these originally settled in the Cape Colony, but have since been quickly absorbed into the Afrikaner and Afrikaans population, thanks to sharing a similar religion to the Dutch colonists.-History:Even before the large...
. The first official wine route was opened in Stellenbosch in 1971.
Wine of Origin
In 1993, Western Cape was designated as a Geographical Unit under the Wine of Origin scheme.Geography
The Geographical Unit covers almost all of the South African winelands, including the regions of Breede River Valley, Coastal Region, Klein Karoo and Olifants River. It also includes the otherwise unassigned southern districts of Bot River, Cape Agulhas, Overberg, Plettenberg Bay and Walker Bay, and the wards of Cederberg, Ceres, Herbertsdale, Prince Albert Valley, Ruiterbosch and Swartberg.Bot River (Botrivier)
There are two wineries on the banks of the 'butter' river, Goedvertrouw and Beaumont Wines.Cape Agulhas
The southern tip of Africa, where the Atlantic meets the Indian Ocean, offers a unique terroir where Sauvignon BlancSauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
thrives, particularly in the ward of Elim.
Overberg
This district south of Paarl is cooled by Atlantic breezes and is producing some exciting cool-climate Sauvignon BlancSauvignon blanc
Sauvignon Blanc is a green-skinned grape variety which originates from the Bordeaux region of France. The grape most likely gets its name from the French word sauvage and blanc due to its early origins as an indigenous grape in South West France., a possible descendant of savagnin...
, Chardonnay
Chardonnay
Chardonnay is a green-skinned grape variety used to make white wine. It is originated from the Burgundy wine region of eastern France but is now grown wherever wine is produced, from England to New Zealand...
and Pinot Noir
Pinot Noir
Pinot noir is a black wine grape variety of the species Vitis vinifera. The name may also refer to wines created predominantly from Pinot noir grapes...
. It includes the Elgin and Klein River wards.
Plettenberg Bay
Newly declared WO that is home to Bramon Estate, who are best known for a sparkling Sauvignon Blanc.Walker Bay
West of Cape Agulhas, this coastal district produces some high quality wines from the Burgundy varieties. Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Sunday's Glen and Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley were recently declared as wards.Cape Winelands
South Africa
The Republic of South Africa is a country in southern Africa. Located at the southern tip of Africa, it is divided into nine provinces, with of coastline on the Atlantic and Indian oceans...
. It is the largest wine producing region in South Africa and is divided into six main wine regions, each offering its own unique wine route. Constantia
Constantia, Cape Town
Constantia is an affluent suburb of Cape Town, South Africa, situated about 15 kilometres south of the centre of Cape Town. The Constantia Valley lies to the east of and at the foot of the Constantiaberg mountain. Constantia Nek is a low pass linking to Hout Bay in the west.-History:Constantia is...
, Stellenbosch, Franschhoek, Paarl
Paarl
Paarl is a town with 191,013 inhabitants in the Western Cape province of South Africa. Its the third oldest European settlement in the Republic of South Africa and the largest town in the Cape Winelands. Due to the growth of the Mbekweni township, it is now a de facto urban unit with Wellington...
, Robertson
Robertson, Western Cape
Robertson is a town in the Western Cape Province of South Africa known as the valley of wine and roses. It was founded in 1853 and named after the Scottish Dutch Reformed Church Minister, Dr William Robertson....
and Wellington are the most popular. The geographic area is generally referred to locally as the Boland, meaning uplands in Afrikaans
Afrikaans
Afrikaans is a West Germanic language, spoken natively in South Africa and Namibia. It is a daughter language of Dutch, originating in its 17th century dialects, collectively referred to as Cape Dutch .Afrikaans is a daughter language of Dutch; see , , , , , .Afrikaans was historically called Cape...
.
Constantia Valley wine region is situated in mountainous surroundings, and is home to some of the oldest wine estates in the country.
Stellenbosch wine region is the well known known in the Cape. In 1971 the first official wine route was founded by Frans Malan of Simonsig, Spatz Sperling of Delheim, and Niel Joubert of Spier.
Franschhoek valley wine region was settled over 300 years ago by the French Huguenots
Huguenot
The Huguenots were members of the Protestant Reformed Church of France during the 16th and 17th centuries. Since the 17th century, people who formerly would have been called Huguenots have instead simply been called French Protestants, a title suggested by their German co-religionists, the...
. Set against the backdrop of the Franschhoek and Drakenstein mountains, the village has over 30 wine farms.
World Heritage status
The Cape Winelands and their cultural landscape were added to the UNESCO World Heritage Tentative List on June 24, 2004 in the Cultural category.See also
- Cape Winelands District MunicipalityCape Winelands District MunicipalityThe Cape Winelands District Municipality, formerly the Boland District Municipality, is a district municipality located in the Western Cape province of South Africa. As of 2007, it had a population of 712,413...
- an administrative region - Wine regions of South AfricaWine regions of South AfricaThe wine regions of South Africa were delineated under the "Wine of Origin" legislation enacted in 1973. Sharing some similarities with the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée system, all South African wines listing a "Wine of Origin" must be composed entirely of grapes grown in that region...
External links
- www.winemag.co.za WINE magazine