2010 a Banner Year for SA

2010 EXPECTED TO BE A BANNER YEAR FOR SOUTH AFRICAN WINES

By Susannah Gold
Jan 11, 2010, 09:47

South Africa has gone through numerous changes in the past 20 years. Nelson Mandela was freed 19 years ago; peaceful democratic elections were held in 1994 and the Truth and Reconciliation Commission went a long way toward healing wounds post-apartheid; and South Africa has become a vibrant democracy with a lively tourist industry.

South Africa has been courting tourists for many years, primarily pushing its host of flora and fauna as the prime attraction. Things have changed, though, and South African food and wine have become a real draw. 2010 is expected to see even more change as South Africa hosts the first World Cup Soccer tournament in Africa.

Winemaking is not new to South Africa. The country has been producing wines since 1659. The year 2009 represented the 350th anniversary of the country's winemaking tradition. It was the Dutch who first brought wines to South Africa when the Dutch East India Company established an outpost on the Cape in 1652. The outpost was set up to serve as a way station for merchant ships on their way to India.

Instead, this station created the beginning of a nation as well as the wine industry. A man named Jan van Riebeeck, who was the first governor of the Cape, planted the first vineyard in 1655. It was actually the second governor of the Cape that most consider the father of South African viticulture, Simon van der Stel. His vineyard in Constantia was famous at the time and remains so today.

For many years, the system was controlled by government monopolies that crowded out private investment. At that time, quantity was prized over quality. All of that has changed.

South Africa is renowned for having the oldest soils in the world. In some areas, the soils can be traced back to the time when there was one supercontinent, almost 1000 million years ago. South Africa also has a wealth of different microclimates and touches both the Atlantic and the Indian Oceans. The coastal breezes coming off of these oceans help to cool the vineyards and make the wines elegant and refined.

The South African winelands are located in one of the world's six Floral Kingdoms. It is home to 9,600 plant species. Recognized as one of the 25 biodiversity hot spots, the Cape Floral Kingdom is designated as a world heritage site. Additionally, some 70 percent of the flora that can be found in the Cape Floral Kingdom is unique to that area and can't be found anywhere else on the planet.

The South African wine industry works to protect the biodiversity in the Floral Kingdom through the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI). Many guidelines for winemakers and viticulturists have been laid out in order to support the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW), the industry's handbook for sustainable farming.

Despite its long history of winemaking, South Africa is considered by most to be part of the New World tradition rather than Old World countries such as France, Italy and Spain.

South Africa has 101,325 hectares under vine, some 56 percent under white grapes and 44 percent under red grapes. South Africa is the ninth-largest wine-producing country in the world. It makes a variety of white and red wines in its regions, districts and wards. Its signature red grape variety is called Pinotage and is a cross between Pinot Nero and Cinsaut. South Africa also makes good Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz, in the Australian style rather than the French one.

In terms of its whites, two grape varieties are vying for position at the moment, Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc, often called Steen in South Africa. Some see South Africa's Sauvignon Blanc with its bracing acidity and tropical fruit as having claimed a place on the international stage together with New Zealand. Other sommeliers expect Chenin Blanc, grown on bush vines, to become the signature white grape of South Africa.

Chenin Blanc, which can be made into a variety of styles including dry, semi-sweet and sweet, is very widespread. This versatile grape comes from the Loire Valley in France where it is made into fabulous wines. Some think that South Africa can give the Loire Valley a run for its money in terms of being the top place for quality Chenin Blanc. Chenin Blanc can have honey and toasty notes, or it can be more floral and lactic. It can also be affected by noble rot (Botrytis Cinerea) and makes delicious dessert wine. Some Chardonnay, Viognier and Semillon are also grown in the wine regions of South Africa.

On the whole, South African wines are affordable and that makes them appealing to a wider market in this moment of crisis. Also, most of the wines have names that people can pronounce and, therefore, are easy to ask for in a store or a restaurant. Additionally, the country is doing a big promotional tour to explain its wines to the United States market.

The country has many different regions with varying soils and climates, including Breede River Valley, Klein Karoo, the Coastal Region where Stellenbosch and Paarl are located, and the Olifants River Region. South Africa also has a number of areas that do not belong to a particular region such as Walker Bay, Overberg, Douglas and others.

South Africa has created a program called Fundi in order to educate the country's waiters and waitresses. The idea is to train more than 2,000 people who are unemployed currently to work with wines and foods for the World Cup, and then to use that knowledge when working with tourists once the event is over.

In order to try wines from South Africa, restaurants tend to have at least one on their wine list and perhaps one by the glass. A few wine bars, specialized only in South African wines, have opened up across the country. If all else fails, Wines of South Africa will also be holding a trade fair in New York City in May 2010. It promises to be an exciting event.

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