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The Western Cape’s major wine-growing areas stretch
from the heart of Namaqualand, north of the majestic Cederberg mountains
in the north-west, to the Klein Karoo, well east of Cape Town. However,
most of the 13 wine growing regions are within easy reach of Cape
Town, ranging from a 20 minute drive (Constantia) to a two-hour journey
(Robertson).
The culture of wine is well developed in the Western
Cape, as the region has been producing wine for some three and a half
centuries. Jan van Riebeeck, who arrived in Table Bay on 6 April 1652
to establish a refreshment station for the Dutch East India Company, saw
his first vintage pressed in 1659.
Most of the Western Cape’s wine-growing areas enjoy a
Mediterranean climate, with winter rainfall and warm dry summers. Both
climate and soil variations ensure a wide range of wine types and styles
are produced. Red and white wines of high quality are made, along
with an increasing number of sparkling wines. The province’s fortified
wines – including sherry, port and muscatel – are renowned for both
good quality and pleasing prices.
Gracious estates with distinctive Cape Dutch
architecture, surrounded by verdant vineyards and a backdrop of mauve
mountains, are as quintessentially Cape as Table Mountain. There are,
however, several equally impressive cellars that are as modern as any in
the world, some sunk into hillsides, other state-of-the-art steel and
glass structures that soar skyward. |
