South Africa
To summarise the country at the Cape of Good Hope on one page would be like squaring the circle. This also applies to viticulture.
Buying wines from South Africa
For a long time, South Africa was known either for the rather simple wines of KWV, the largest co-operative in South Africa for a long time, founded under the name „Ko-operatiewe Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika“, or for the powerful cuvées from Stellenbosch, which are primarily based on Bordeaux grape varieties. However, South Africa can now be described as one of the most dynamic wine-growing countries in the world. Many well-trained winegrowers have given viticulture an enormous boost in the last 15 years.
An important step was the realisation that the country has a great treasure trove of old vines, which is slowly running out. The "Old Vine Project" has changed this. As old vines yield less, winegrowers began to be paid more money for the grapes. As a result, the classic grape varieties of the Cape became more and more in focus. This is because ancient vines of Chenin Blanc, Sémillon, Cinsault or Syrah are often found in remote, widely scattered vineyards. Great wines are now being produced from these grape varieties, which are even awarded top marks in the traditional, more French-centred "La Revue du Vin de France".
South Africa is not new territory to be discovered, but an old country with old vines, but young winemakers and wineries full of vigour. Get to know some of these wines!
