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An approximate 40 minute drive from Cape Town, Stellenbosch is a University town situated in the heart of the Stellenbosch wine region. In 1679, the newly appointed Governor of The Cape travelled inland for 5 days until he discovered this area of paradise. He decided to set up an agricultural community to provide additional produce to the passing ships and offered free land to interested parties to be cultivated. Within 3 years there were around 30 families living in this community which were the pioneers for the region. An ideal way to see how the historical lifestyle of Stellenbosch is to visit the Village Museum, which comprises of 4 original historical houses, representing the major stylistic periods over the last 300 years. www.stelmus.co.za For further information on Stellenbosch you may like to visit www.stellenboschtourism.co.za
Many full-bodied red wines spend around 1-2 years in either an oak barrique and you can visit the Maturation cellar where quality wines are matured under special conditions. If your interests lie in Methode Cap Classique (similar to Champagne) or Pot-Still Brandy (similar to Cognac), you may prefer to see the champagne making process or visit a brandy distillery.
Many vineyards are open to the public so that you can try their wines. You are never made to feel obliged to purchase wines as they understand that many guests have further onward travel and simply can’t carry bottles of wine. The majority of wineries now have agents in countries around the world and the winery will happily provide you with their contact details so that you can purchase if you wish on returning home. If you are interested, we can demonstrate the formal way of tasting and evaluating a wine. Otherwise you are welcome to taste informally at your own pace. Our aim is to select the smaller boutique style wineries according to your wine style preferences (e.g. full-bodied reds, Shiraz, desert wines, Methode Cap Classique etc). No prior knowledge of wines is required.
Van Ryn (www.vanryn.co.za), is a distillery offering an informative cellar tour and tasting of pot-stilled brandy’s which have been matured for up to 20 years. Alternatively there are a few wineries which have one or two pot-stilled brandies as part of their range.
If you look at all the good world wine producers you will also notice these countries are making excellent Olive Oil. South Africa is no exception and there are number of Olive oil producers in the wine region who are only to happy for us to visit and taste their products. Why not consider a visit to an Olive grove and try some olives and olive oil. For the real enthusiasts it is possible to see how Olive oil is made and learn what ‘Extra Virgin’ actually means? If you have a special interest in Olive Oil, the following web sites may be of interest to you, www.saolive.co.za
South Africa is now well known for our local cheeses and some of the wineries offer a cheese tasting along with wine! Have a look at some of the following web sites for some suggestions www.fairview.co.za
We have a wide variety of restaurants in the wine region offering delicious lunches along with exquisite vineyard views. Franschhoek is known as the gourmet capital of South Africa and when you visit some of the restaurants it is not difficult to see why! Please look at the restaurant section for some ideas. After a long leisurely lunch – why not return to Cape Town by helicopter? An exciting alternative to a restaurant is to have a picnic! If you have been exploring the fine dining restaurants in Cape Town and the Winelands most evenings, why not consider a lighter lunch and sample some of the Capes cheeses, cold meats and salads. Accompanied by a glass of wine of course!
Four years later on 2 February 1659, it can be seen in Van Riebeeck’s diaries “Today, praise be to God, wine was pressed for the first time from Cape grapes….” From this modest beginning viticulture slowly expanded, but it wasn’t until the arrival of Simon Van Der Stel that the quality of Cape wine began to emerge. Simon Van der Stel encouraged the cape farmers to produce better wines by pressing grapes only when fully ripe, improving cleanliness during wine making and by fining the wine. To say thank you to Simon Van der Stel for his enormous contribution to the wine industry, he was granted a farm in the Constantia Valley which today is known as Groot Constantia. Visit www.grootconstantia.co.za For nearly 2 centuries Constantia wines were highly sought after by European kings and statesmen and the Cape enjoyed a flourishing wine industry. The wine industry took a turn in the 1880’s when the root louse Phylloxera devastated the vineyards and millions of vines were destroyed. The only way to save the vineyards was to graft the vines onto American rootstock (a practice still carried out today in South Africa and other countries). The wine industry suffered dramatically from the Phylloxera and in 1905 they started to look at a co-operative system in order to turn it around. It was in 1918, with the formation of KWV (Kooperatiewe Wijnbouwers Vereengiging van Zuid-Afrika – or Co-operative Wine Growers Association of South Africa), when things started to turn around in a positive direction. Their success was due to their 3 main functions,
In 1925 Professor Perold successfully cross-pollinated Pinot Noir with Hermitage (today known as Cinsaut), to make Pinotage. Apart from a few recent plantings in New Zealand and California, it is largely known as a South African grape variety. www.pinotage.co.za In 1971 the first Methode Cap Classique (champagne method), was made at Simsonsig by Malan, and in 1973 the Wine of Origin legislation was introduced. Since the sanctions were lifted many more people can enjoy South African wines which are now exported to many countries around the world. For further information on the wine industry in South Africa www.platteronline.com
The vineyards have been very active in promoting their wines in export markets over the last few years and the majority of vineyards have an agent/importer in Europe, USA and selected Asian countries. The shipping of wine by the case of 12 bottles back home can be expensive and it is very often a good idea to ask the winery after a tasting for their importer details in your home country so that you can purchase wine when you have returned home. It is always nice to drink wine from a vineyard you have visited and this is usually a less expensive option. In 1995, South Africa was planting 80% white and 20%red grape varieties. 10 years later the statistics show 55% white and 45% red as the demand for red wines increases. The most planted grape variety in South Africa is still Chenin Blanc and although we have many reputable Chenin Blanc producers, a good proportion of Chenin Blanc wine is distilled to make Brandy. In white grape varieties, after Chenin Blanc, we plant Colombar (used mainly in white blends), Chardonnay and Sauvignon blanc in order of volumes. Our Sauvignon Blanc is mainly unwooded and our Chardonnay is made in a broad range of styles from un-wooded, to lightly wooded, right through to the buttery Burgundy styles. Our most planted red grape variety is Cabernet Sauvignon, closely followed by Shiraz, Merlot and Pinotage. We are known for our ‘Bordeaux style blends’ which can be a blend of Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbce and Petite Verdot. Some wineries are producing blends which incorporate Shiraz and Pinotage providing you with some completely different styles to try. Pinotage was crossed by Professor Perold at the University of Stellenbosch in 1925 by Pinot Noir and Hermitage (today known as Cinsaut). It experienced a difficult history which changed dramatically in 1991 when Beyers Truter (then winemaker at Kanonkop) was named International Winemaker of the year at the International Wine and Spirit Competition putting Pinotage suddenly back in the limelight. In 1995 the Pinotage Association was formed by the top producers of Pinotage in the country, to work together, exchanging information on how to get the best out of this grape. Although mainly produced in South Africa, there have been some plantings in California and New Zealand. www.pinotage.co.za Some interesting websites to explore further
Their headquarters was established in Batavia on Java (today Jakarta) It took a VOC ship around 3-6 months to travel from Europe to Batavia, and as rations were short it was decided that a half way refreshment stop was required to re-supply ships on route. In 1652, Jan Van Riebeeck set up a refreshment trading station This outpost eventually became a fully fledged colony when many Europeans began to settle here. Other VOC outposts were also established in Iran, Bangladesh, Sri Lanka, Malacca, Thailand, China, and Taiwan. The VOC was a huge success and dominated trade in spice, herbs, cotton and silk for many years. In 1798, the VOC was bankrupt. The Batavia republic took over their debts and the territories were transferred to the colonies of the Netherlands.
Email:
Lesleyc@wol.co.za |
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The
gourmet capital of South Africa!
A
number of wineries offer a visit inside their winery and explain the wine
making process. This is particularly exciting during our harvest period
February and March when there is plenty of activity in the region. On
average these cellar tours last around 20-30 minutes and provide an interesting
insight into the workings of a winery.
20%
of our Vineyards are Chenin Blanc, of which large proportion of the wine
is distilled to make our well known brandy. South Africa produces both
standard brandy (a brandy and coke is a popular drink amongst South Africans)
and Pot-Still brandy (similar to Cognac) and it can make an exciting change
to try some of our quality brands. 
Many
people think it that it was the French Hugenots who started the wine industry
in South Africa, but in fact it was the Dutch. The first Govenor of the
Cape, Jan Van Riebeeck had the vision to import the first vines from France
and Germany in 1655 and planted them in what is known today as the Company
Gardens.
South
Africa is the 9th largest producer of wine by volume (France and Italy
being 1st and 2nd respectively). Approximately 102,000 hectares are planted
under vine and we produce around 1000 million litres of wine per year.
Around 30% is exported and our number one customer is the UK, followed
by The Netherlands, Sweden, Germany and the USA.
The
VOC was founded in 1602 and was effectively one the first Multi-national
companies. It consisted of 6 chambers and delegates from each of these
convened as the Lords seventeen (Heeren XVII, Heerengracht street in Cape
Town city bowl was named after them) for major decision making.