Believe it or not this year we are
celebrating 350 years of winemaking in
South Africa!
It was in 1652 that
Jan van Riebeeck landed at the Cape,
tasked with establishing a garden to
provision VOC ships. The first vines
arrived in 1655 imported from France,
the Rhineland and Spain. Naturally,
these were planted in the Company's
Gardens, six acres of which survive as a
botanical garden in central Cape Town to
this day. Jan van Riebeeck's diary entry
of February 2, 1659 reads: "today,
praise be to God, wine was pressed for
the first time from Cape grapes, and the
new must was tested fresh from the vat."
Van Riebeeck also
planted 1 000 vines at his own farm,
Boscheuvel, while his successor, Simon
van der Stel, staked his personal claim
on the lower slopes of the Steenbergen
in Constantia. Once these Governors
showed that successful large-scale grape
cultivation was possible, other free
farmers followed suit. Until then grapes
had served primarily as adornments for
verandahs and stables!
|
This was the origin
of the famously historic sweet wines of
Constantia. Constantia vintners placed a
premium on quality rather than quantity,
attending their vines with care, and
thus differentiating them from the
somewhat rough and rudimentary wines
produced elsewhere.
Fans of Constantia
wines include Frederic the Great of
Prussia while Danish foreign Minister
Johann Sigismund Schulin's cellar
records of 1744 indicate a considerable
stock of Constantia. Famous French poet
Baudelaire was a fan, as were Napoleon
Bonaparte and British author Jane
Austen, who wrote about them in Sense
and Sensibility.
|
 |
French Huguenot
refugees in 1688 settled in the
Drakenstein valley, an area better
suited to vines than grain cultivation,
providing a much-needed boost as a few
of their number knew about wine and
viticulture. In the early 1700s wine
farmers found themselves stuck with a
surplus of pretty poor quality wine
but production grew apace because of
unchecked planting of vineyards. By 1800
around 5 million litres of wine was
produced annually. Wine farmers found
themselves in a situation which was to
last for centuries: a surplus of
less-than-ideal quality wine that was
difficult to dispose of allied to the
reliance upon a fickle foreign market.
Only when crops failed or Europe was at
war were South African wines in demand.
The exception, of course, was Constantia
and sweet wines such as muscadel and
hanepoot.
In the 1800s, British
occupation meant a strong military and
naval presence and a consequent good
demand for SA wines in Britain post
1813. However, it was fleeting, with
preferential tariffs abolished in 1861
leading once again to surplus. Added to
this was the phylloxera epidemic which
devastated plantings. First encountered
in a vineyard in Mowbray in January
1886, it spread rapidly. Vintners were
compelled to destroy millions of vines
by uprooting and burning. Only the
introduction of phylloxera-resistant
American rootstock saved the industry.
At the turn of the
20th century, South Africa was itself at
war, with Boer and Brit pitted against
each other. However, wine and brandy
sold well during 1899 and 1902 but,
following the cessation of hostilities,
surpluses built up and prices dropped
dramatically.
Perhaps one of the
most significant events was the creation
of the KWV (Ko-operatiewe Wijnbouwers
Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika, Beperkt) in
1918. It saved many wine farmers from
ruin by uniting their producers'
interest under a single umbrella
organisation, stabilising production and
setting minimum prices.
The country's change
of government in 1948 ushered in the era
of apartheid and many former trading
partners applied economic sanctions in
protest. Lieberstein bucked the trend.
Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery launched
the semi-sweet white and backed it with
an aggressive marketing campaign. By
1965 it was the biggest selling natural
wine of its kind worldwide.
However, the release of Nelson Mandela
in 1990 and the rapid and peaceful
transition to democracy paved the way
for sustained growth in the modern era.
Along with the establishment of a
dedicated export marketing body (Wines
of South Africa), a new generation of
young winemakers were able to work and
travel abroad, returning with fresh
skills, techniques and ideas.
International
exposure and dramatic growth in sales
led to a change in style of South
African wine as well as a greater
commitment to improving quality. This
has been reflected in the slew of
international awards claimed by South
African wines since democratic elections
were first held in 1994, a remarkable
turnaround and achievement for an
industry which is simultaneously 350
and 15 years old.
Stellenbosch Wine
Routes is offering an array of wonderful
events and promotions to celebrate - for
more information, visit
www.southafricanwine350.co.za, or
www.wineroute.co.za, or phone
me on 021 886 8275.
----
|
 |
Muratie Wine Estate tells the
story of winemaking in South Africa a
history that is almost as old as the
country herself.
Imbued with a sense of mystique and
old-world hospitality, from the
centuries-old oaks to the resting cellar
and the original homestead. A romance
lingers
of love, passion, grapes, art
and life itself. The ambiance is
authentic, the methods traditional and
the surrounds charming.
Muratie exudes honesty, humbleness and
integrity qualities which resonate in
every glass of our wine. |
Please raise your glasses in
celebration of 350 years of SA
Wines!
A complimentary glass of
Muratie 1763 Method Cap
Classique 2007 for every
check-in at Muratie Canitz
Studio and Humble Cellar Cottage
on Monday 2 February 2009
A complimentary glass of
Muratie Isabella Chardonnay 2007
for every visitor to Muratie
wine tasting room on Monday 2
February 2009.
A complimentary glass of
Muratie Isabella Chardonnay 2007
with every order of a cheese
plank on Saturday 31 January &
Sunday 1 February 2009 (booking
by Friday 30/01/2009 is
essential).
A complimentary glass of
Muratie Amber 2008 for every
visitor to Oom Samie se Winkel
on Monday 2 February 2009.
----
350 Year Celebrations
at Somerbosch
|
 |
2 February 2009
- Free wine Tastings
- Cheese Platters at R50
2 to 28 February 2009
- Tastings in Vinotique (special tasting of
older
vintages of our wines)
Call us on 021 855 3615, email
enquiries@somerbosch.co.za or visit
www.somerbosch.co.za for more information. |
----
Tsiba Tsiba Celebrates
350 years with a R350 Full Day Wine Tour
|
This February
the SA Wine Industry is 350 years old and to celebrate we
are offering guests a FULL DAY WINE TOUR for R350 which
includes all tastings, excluding lunch.
The tour will visit 4 to 5 wine estates in the 3 regions of
the Cape Winelands.
Lunch is on a
wine estate with a stunning view and great food & wine of
course.
For bookings or
enquiries please call 021 887 5487 or 082 956 8104.
Email
info@tsibatsiba.co.za
or visit our website www.tsibatsiba.co.za |
 |
