South African Wines - A Refreshing Change

By Author: Joshua Kim
Total Articles: 32
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South Africa sits at the tip of the vast continent of Africa, at its most southerly tip lays the Cape of Good Hope which straddles across the two great oceans of the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans.

The first western settlers who arrived in this area were Dutch traders in the 1600's who were well aware of the health properties of grapes and started planting vines around the area in order to help stave of scurvy for sailors who had been on long sea voyages.

The wine industry of today's South Africa can be traced all the way back to these early settlers. As the settlers became more established and explored the surrounding areas of the Cape, they began planting larger areas of vines specifically for wine production and created the first known vineyard just outside Cape Town which was called Constantia, supplying wines across the populated areas of the country.

Even dating back to the early 19th Century, the winegrowers of South Africa were exporting their wines across the oceans and back to the UK. Although in those early days, the flavours and personality of the early wines were certainly not as sophisticated ...
... as today's excellent varieties being produced in such abundance.

The growth of external markets for South African wines was very limited for much of the 20th Century due to the political system of white rule in the country and the trade embargos from a large number of countries from around the world meant that the export opportunities was almost non-existent. This was also coupled with a very small tourist industry due to the struggles inside the country, which meant that very few wine drinking westerners ventured to visit the country and sample the wines being produced.

South Africa is such as vast country that different growing areas can produce distinctive tasting wine from the same grape varieties. The area around the Cape enjoys quite a Mediterranean type climate with plenty of sunshine to give a smooth finish to its finished wines.

Chenin Blanc is one of the most widely planted grape varieties around South Africa and is a popular wine around the globe. It's a traditional white grape grown in France where the bottled wines can range from extremely dry and crisp, to deliciously sweet dessert wines. South Africa's Chenin Blancs are probably at their best drunk while they're still young. They can be drunk unblended or often mixed with Chardonnay varieties to give a deeper flavour.

Online wine merchants offer a great range of South African wines and they are great for dinner party wines as well if you are planning a part with friends.