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A Guide To South Africa's Winelands |
By:
Kobus van der Merwe |
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In 1652 the Dutch East India company establishment a refreshment
station at the Cape of Good Hope aiming to provide fresh food to
the company's fleet on voyages to India and surrounding areas.
As a result of this trading station South Africa now boasts a
flourishing wine industry and colourful, multi-cultural nation.
The fertile soil and Mediterranean climate of the Western Cape,
makes the Cape Winelands one of the most renowned wine producing
areas in the world. The Western Cape is also cooler than its
position of 34º South of the equator might suggest, making the
area ideal for growing a wide range of noble vine varieties such
as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and
Pinot Noir. The traditional wine growing areas along the coastal
regions are seldom more than 50km from the ocean and are exposed
to cool breezes blowing in from the sea.
All the wine grape varietals cultivated in South Africa, belong
to the Vitis vinifera species, originally brought from Europe.
Unfortunately these European vines were susceptible to
phylloxera and as a result many South African viticulturists
these days often have to graft their vines onto American
rootstock in order to resist the insect.
Although Cape Town and the nearby Boland basin is best-known
for it's superb Bordeaux-style red wines, the wine-producing
regions of the province extends further north- and eastwards and
has established itself as producer of world-class red, white,
fortified and sparkling wines from a wide range of varietals.
Constantia
The oldest and one of the most famous wine farms in the area is
Groot Constantia, which was granted to governor Simon van der
Stel in 1685, by the Dutch East India Company. The estate is
located on the Southern Slopes of Table Mountain and is still
world-renowned for it's superb wines and breathtaking location.
It's beautiful Cape Dutch homestead also forms part of the Iziko
South African National Museums. The Constantia region also
features such formidable estates as Steenberg well know for it's
Reserve Sauvignon Blanc and Semmilon while the nearby
Buitenverwachting produces outstanding Chardonnay. Both estates
feature award-winning restaurants.
Boland
>From Cape Town, the Winelands spread north-east and eastwards to
the beautiful Boland basin with Stellenbosch, Paarl, Franschhoek
and Wellington being the most prominent producers. Some of the
oldest wine farms in South Africa are situated in and around
this beautiful Cape Dutch village, which at over 300-years old,
is the oldest town in the country. Although the area hosts an
endless amount of superior wine estates, well-known farms
towards the east include the Shiraz and Port producing Alto; the
prolific Blaauwklippen estate which produces one of the only
Zinfandel's in the region; the red wine producing Delheim; the
famous Lanzerac estate and hotel; the prominent Middelvlei; the
international award-winning red wine producing Rust en Vrede
estate; Vriesenhof with it's outstanding white wines; the
exclusive Engelbrecht Els estate and the beautiful Tokara with
it's adjoining restaurant managed by famous local chef and
saucier Etienne Bonthuys.
Towards the west of the town there's the well-known
Beyerskloof, famous for it's award-winning Pinotage; the
superior sparkling wine producing House of JC Le Roux, the
scenic Meerlust estate with it's legendary Rubicon blend; the
family-run Overgaauw; the "Cap Classique" producing Villiera and
Zevenwacht estate.
The nearby Franschhoek, which translates as "French corner"
also boasts some of the country's oldest estates: The beautiful
Boschendal with it's typical Cape Dutch homestead; Cabriere
Estate with it's flagship range of Pierre Jourdan "Methode Cape
Classique" sparkling wines; Graham Beck with it's signature Brut
Blanc de Blanc sparkling wine and Rhona Muscadel; and the
beautiful La Motte estate which produces outstanding Shiraz.
Overberg
On the otherside of the Franschhoek and Hottentots Holland
mountain ranges, the Overberg region includes quaint villages
such as McGregor, Montagu and Robertson - the latter boasts the
De Wetshof estate, owned by the prolific Chardonnay producer
Danie de Wet, while the nearby Hemel-and-Aarde valley close to
Hermanus is home to such spectacular wineries as Hamilton Russel
with it's well-known Pinot Noir and the legendary Bouchard
Finlayson.
Swartland
North of Cape Town, the predominantly wheat producing Swartland
region includes the fructuous Riebeek valley, well-known for
it's Shiraz wines and olive farms. This region hosts such
prestigious estates as Kloovenburg, Allesverloren and Twee Jonge
Gezellen, as well as the larger co-operative wineries such as
Riebeek Cellars, Swartland Cellars and Darling Cellars,
extending further east, towards the Hexrivier Valley at De
Doorns and north towards the Olifants River valley close to
Citrusdal and the fruitful Orange River Valley near Upington in
the Northern Cape.
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Article Source: http://www.friendsofvista.org/articles/article39825.html |
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