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| Wineries of South Africa |
South African wine has a history dating back to 1659, and at one time Constantia was considered one of the greatest wines in the world. Under
apartheid, the industry struggled with inferior grape varieties and industrial winemaking, but the dismantling of the old state cooperatives and
access to international markets has unleashed a burst of new energy and new investment.
Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and production centres at Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester.
On 2nd February 1659 the founder of Cape Town, Jan van Riebeeck, produced the first wine recorded in South Africa. In 1685, the Constantia
estate was established in a valley facing False Bay by the Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel. His 'Vin de Constance' soon acquired a
good reputation. But it was Hendrik Cloete, who bought the homestead in 1778, who really made the name of Constantia famous, with an
unfortified wine made from a blend of mostly Muscat de Frontignan (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains), Pontac, red and white Muscadel (probably
clones of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains??) and a little Chenin Blanc.
It became a favourite tipple of European kings and emperors, from Frederick the Great to Napoleon. But the vineyards were decimated by
phylloxera, the Cloete family were bankrupted, and Groot Constantia was sold to the government as an experimental station. In 1980 Duggie
Jooste bought Klein Constantia, redeveloped it, and is now selling a new version of Vin de Constance made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.
On 8th January 1918, growers in the Western Cape founded the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Bpkt (KWV). KWV
came to dominate the industry until the end of the apartheid. In the 1930s they set up the South African Wine Farmers Association (SAWFA) as
a 50:50 joint venture with their British agents, Vine Products, taking full control after the Second World War.
Restrictions on the sale of "whites man's liquor" to black South Africans were lifted in the 1960s. Restrictions were never placed on Coloured
South African laborers for fear of collapsing the wine farm labor force. Production quotas were abolished in the 1990s, and KWV shed its
regulatory functions to the South African Wine Industry Trust and its producing interests to the Wijngaard Co-operative, leaving a
publicly-quoted marketing company.
Article from www.wikipedia.com.
apartheid, the industry struggled with inferior grape varieties and industrial winemaking, but the dismantling of the old state cooperatives and
access to international markets has unleashed a burst of new energy and new investment.
Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and production centres at Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester.
On 2nd February 1659 the founder of Cape Town, Jan van Riebeeck, produced the first wine recorded in South Africa. In 1685, the Constantia
estate was established in a valley facing False Bay by the Governor of the Cape, Simon van der Stel. His 'Vin de Constance' soon acquired a
good reputation. But it was Hendrik Cloete, who bought the homestead in 1778, who really made the name of Constantia famous, with an
unfortified wine made from a blend of mostly Muscat de Frontignan (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains), Pontac, red and white Muscadel (probably
clones of Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains??) and a little Chenin Blanc.
It became a favourite tipple of European kings and emperors, from Frederick the Great to Napoleon. But the vineyards were decimated by
phylloxera, the Cloete family were bankrupted, and Groot Constantia was sold to the government as an experimental station. In 1980 Duggie
Jooste bought Klein Constantia, redeveloped it, and is now selling a new version of Vin de Constance made from Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains.
On 8th January 1918, growers in the Western Cape founded the Koöperatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Bpkt (KWV). KWV
came to dominate the industry until the end of the apartheid. In the 1930s they set up the South African Wine Farmers Association (SAWFA) as
a 50:50 joint venture with their British agents, Vine Products, taking full control after the Second World War.
Restrictions on the sale of "whites man's liquor" to black South Africans were lifted in the 1960s. Restrictions were never placed on Coloured
South African laborers for fear of collapsing the wine farm labor force. Production quotas were abolished in the 1990s, and KWV shed its
regulatory functions to the South African Wine Industry Trust and its producing interests to the Wijngaard Co-operative, leaving a
publicly-quoted marketing company.
Article from www.wikipedia.com.
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