liquids | cork 101
Wines of South Africa An Old New World Wine Region South Africa was certainly on my list of wine countries or wine lands, as they say in South Africa, to visit but not at the top of my list. It should have been. I am very happy that I accepted an invitation to speak there and endured the incredibly long flight to this Southern Hemisphere country to find perhaps the most naturally beautiful wine country I have ever visited. BY SCOTT HARPER | PHOTOS BY DAN DRY
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n an area of only about 200 square miles, the Cape Peninsula is home to more than 2,600 types of flowering plants, including the beautiful if not unusual national flower named Protea. This is more than the total number of species found in the British Isles or South Australia. South Africa has so many scenic vistas you would think you were in a national park everywhere you look. Ubiquitous rugged gray mountain ranges jutting up from valley floors serve as a backdrop to many wineries. South Africans also take care of their stunning land by having a sustainability program that an incredible 95% of the South African industry follows. Look on the neck of wine bottles to see a seal that says “Integrity & Sustainability.” These sustainable wineries minimize the use of chemicals, protect the biodiversity of one of the richest floral kingdoms in the world and clean their waste water. Also, picturesque Cape Dutch architecture is omnipresent at many wineries and towns, a legacy of the colonization of the Cape by the Dutch in the mid-1600s. Combine the natural gorgeousness with brilliant Cape Dutch architecture and a warm Mediterranean climate and you have an impeccable spot to grow grapes – and to visit. Finally, if you needed a another reason to drink South African
Stellenbosch, South Africa. Photo by Scott Harper.
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wines or visit the nation, it is huge on social responsibility and has more Fairtrade wines than any other nation. In 2014, three quarters of all Fairtrade wines sold in the world originated in South Africa. Wine areas from largest to smallest are divided into geographic units, regions, districts and wards. The wine area most often seen on labels is “Western Cape,” an area that encompasses the majority of the important wine growing regions. There are dozens of other areas but arguably the most important are the Coastal Region and the districts of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Swartland, Robertson and Franschhoek. South Africa makes wine of great value in every price range. Below is just a small sampling of what South Africa has to offer.
Chenin Blanc Arabella 2014 WESTERN CAPE, SOUTH AFRICA 12.5% Chenin Blanc, its most grown grape, is also known, and sometimes labeled, as Steen in South Africa. “Arabella” refers to the beautiful