Southern Starz Inc.
South Africa Wine History
South Africa – Convergence of the Old World and the New As a wine producer, South Africa is considered to be part of the New World, along with the Americas, Australia, and New Zealand. But it has a long history with wine grapes, and its soils are among Earth’s oldest. It is fitting that the best of its wines display the ripe fruit character that we typically enjoy from the New World, framed by minerality and earthiness often reminiscent of Old World European wines. Early History Portuguese explorer Bartolomeu Dias discovered a sea route to India in 1487. He was the first European to arrive on what Portugal’s king named the Cape of Good Hope. The first European settlers did not appear until 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck was sent by the Dutch East India Company to set up a way station on the trade route between Europe and Southeast Asia. Along with other garden staples, grapevines were planted. The first ones did not survive, but vines planted in 1656, believed to have been cuttings from France, Germany, and Spain, produced the first Cape wine, from the 1659 harvest. Simon van der Stel , the Cape’s first governor, arrived in 1679 with expansion plans and the ambition to make good wine. To the east and inland of Cape Town he established the town of Stellenbosch (“van der Stel’s bush), now a center for viticultural studies and home to many of the Cape’s best known and highly regarded wine producers. In 1685 Van der Stel received a large land grant and founded the Constantia wine estate near the original settlement, with the planting of 100,000 vines, and oak trees to protect them from the gale‐force southeasterly winds. By 1692 the wines were noted for their high quality. Many varieties were planted, some with names no longer in use, leaving their identities unknown, but several types of Muscat were grown and both red and white dessert wines were made from them. The red was to become celebrated throughout Europe. At this time, many French Huguenots had fled to Holland to escape religious persecution. In 1688, about 180 of them were sent to populate and farm the new outpost, most of them settling in what became known as the Franschhoek (French Corner) Valley, and giving French names to their farms. It is said that van der Stel asked the Dutch East India Company to give passage to those who had experience with grapevines. Today, Franschhoek is a food and wine hot spot, with many top restaurants. By 1699, the Constantia wines had been exported to Europe and quickly gained a good reputation. When van der Stel died in 1712, the Constantia estate was divided by three and the vineyards fell into neglect. Hendrik Cloete purchased the portion known as Groot Constantia in 1778, replanted the vineyards, and by 1792 had built a homestead and cellar which are now historical monuments exemplifying the Cape Dutch architecture of the time. The Cloete family held the estate for five generations. In the early 1800s, it achieved a level of worldwide acclaim previously accorded only to the great wine properties of Europe. The legendary sweet red Constantia wine appeared in literature, opera, and the courts of European royalty. Napoleon called for it in exile, and lore has it that he drank it on his deathbed. Meanwhile, by the end of the 1700s, Dutch power had waned. The British occupied the Cape in 1795 and gained control of it by 1805. In 1815 it officially became a British colony, coincident with the fall of Napoleon and the beginning of over a century of world domination by what became the British Empire. During the Napoleonic Wars from 1803 through 1815, Great Britain no longer had access to French wine and encouraged wine production in its new possession. South African wine accounted for 10% of British wine consumption by 1822, and enjoyed preferential import tariffs from 1825 until 1860. From the late 1700s to the mid 1800s, South African wine basked in its heyday. 19th Century Because South African wine was now significantly cheaper for the British, the South African wine industry took advantage of the opportunity to make and export low quality wine, eroding its reputation with the exception of Constantia. The difficult 1825 vintage began a slow decline in the fortunes of South African wine. The downturn accelerated in 1859, when the vineyards suffered from powdery mildew so severe that production was reduced by over 90%. Britain’s tax protection ended in 1860, erasing the price advantage over wines brought in from France and elsewhere in Europe. The Groot Constantia wines won medals worldwide, but Jacob Cloete went bankrupt and the estate was purchased by the government in 1885. The phylloxera louse struck the Cape during this period, and though there is debate as to whether it was first noted in 1866 or 1886, it necessitated vast replanting of the vineyards. In haste to rebuild the industry, high‐yielding, lesser‐quality varietals were grafted to pest resistant American rootstock. The Anglo‐Boer war at the turn of the century then cut off export trade, and the country was awash in an excess of wine. 20th Century The Co‐Operative Winegrowers’ Association (Ko‐operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid‐Afrika or KWV) was founded as a company in 1918, becoming a co‐op in 1924. It was established to address the surplus problem, ostensibly to assist growers by guaranteeing purchase and pricing for their fruit, much of which was used for distillation. In time, it became a government sponsored regulator of the entire wine industry, setting production quotas and limits, mandating where grapes could be grown, and controlling importation and propagation of vine cuttings. Ultimately, it supported high‐yield bulk production and did little to encourage the pursuit of higher quality. In 1925, Viticulturist A.I.Perold crossed Pinot Noir with Cinsaut, a southern French red grape variety sometimes called Hermitage in South Africa. The result, named Pinotage, is South Africa’s own vinifera grape. The first bottling did not appear until 1961. With no European benchmark, and no particular success with either of the parent varieties, quality was wildly inconsistent. Some truly awful wine, much of which was exported, convinced many people to avoid Pinotage. Now, with lower yields, better site selection, and healthy vines, there are more good examples. The Nederburg wine farm in Paarl was purchased in 1937 by Johann Graue, who began a history of innovative winemaking and viticultural practices. The winery was highly acclaimed and in 1975 held the first Nederburg auction, devised as a means of distributing the winery’s reserve production. Held annually ever since, the auction showcases many of the Cape’s fine and rare wines. 1959 saw the introduction of Lieberstein, a semi‐sweet Chenin Blanc blend which became the world’s best selling wine brand in the mid‐sixties. In the mid‐1970s, South Africa began its entry into the modern wine industry. The Wine of Origin system of regional definitions was introduced in 1973. The Plant Improvement Scheme was started in 1976 by the KWV, evolving away from that organization to become the Vine Improvement Programme. Now overseen by the government Ministry of Agriculture’s Wine and Spirit Board, it encompasses clonal selection, rootstock improvement, and the matching of these to appropriate terroir. In the early 80s, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc vines were imported. The Cape Wine Academy was founded in 1979, to promote awareness and appreciation of South African wine. Currently, it offers courses and tastings to the public, and training and certification for professionals. The Cape Winemakers’ Guild was formed in 1984, to advance vineyard and cellar techniques. Membership, by invitation only, must be maintained by consistently making wine that meets the self‐
imposed standards of the group. Unfortunately, progress and modernization were impeded by apartheid, the draconian racial separation policy instituted in 1948 by the Afrikaner‐directed National Party when it won control of the government. This regime attracted United Nations condemnation in 1962, followed by trade sanctions and an arms embargo, and kept the country isolated from the international community. While the rest of the world scorned South Africa and its wine, lack of exposure left it unprepared to enter the market upon the advent of democracy. Not having access to wines, knowledge, or plant material from elsewhere had narrowed perspective and slowed development. There was a lot of catching up to do. The political changes, when they arrived, proceeded very quickly. Nelson Mandela was released in 1990 from 27 years of imprisonment. An interim constitution was drafted by 1993, and sanctions were lifted. The 1994 election, in which the black majority at last had the right to vote, began South Africa’s new identity as a democracy. The role of the KWV as industry‐wide regulator was dismantled, opening the door to fine winemaking. No longer restricted in the choice of where to grow, what to plant, and how much to produce, quality‐
minded vintners began exploring new growing areas and discovering how to make the most of existing ones. Many of the diseased vineyards were replanted with healthy vines and with careful consideration of which varieties were best suited to the site. The KWV became a public company in 2003. The old Constantia estate, over 6000 acres, is now broken up into Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, Buitenverwachting, Steenberg Estate, and Constantia Uitsig. Klein Constantia began making Vin de Constance, a modern version of sweet Constantia, in 1986. Groot Contantia’s Grand Constance was first released in 2003. Both are made from Muscat de Frontignan, believed to have been the primary grape of the original world‐renowned wine. 21st Century From 1996 to 2005, the number of wineries more than doubled. Most of the growth is in small, site‐
driven properties. Though the majority of production is still by co‐ops, it is no longer predominantly grapes for table use and wine for distillation. The percentage of grapes made into wine for consumption by the public rose from 30% in 1990 to 70% in 2003. Winegrape vineyard planting and replanting is extensive. Virus‐free rootstock now available is replacing unhealthy vines that have been torn out. Better and more varied clones, better matching of location to varietal, improved vineyard practices and newly‐explored planting areas are also advancing this renaissance. The percentage of red grapes to white increased from 29% to 44% from 1999 to 2009. Overall, as of 2009, more than half of all red grapevines are under 10 years old. Wines of South Africa (WOSA), a non‐profit, non‐governmental organization, was established in 1999 to build the image and demand for South African wine. It represents all exporting producers, participates in international wine events, and promotes wine tourism to South Africa. It is funded by a per‐liter levy on exported wine. Its Cape Wine exposition in Cape Town, first held in 2000, has brought buyers, importers, and journalists from around the world. The wine industry is involved with many programs based on social and environmental responsibility. The government‐instituted Black Economic Empowerment initiative was started in 1997 to address the unequal distribution of wealth and opportunity in South Africa. Ten years later, the South African Wine Council drafted a charter to outline goals and strategy for participation by wineries. The Integrated Production of Wine program, established in 1998, consists of voluntary, self‐regulated guidelines ensuring environmentally sustainable vineyard and cellar practices. Over 90% of exporting producers adhere to this system. The Wine and Agricultural Industry Ethical Trade Association codifies employment practices. Begun in 2002 as a wine industry organization, it has expanded to the broader agricultural sector. 2004’s Biodiversity in Wine Initiative has already resulted in a total of land under conservancy by winegrowers that is greater than the vineyard total. Land vegetation of the world is divided into six floral kingdoms, South Africa’s Cape Floral Kingdom being the smallest, the most diverse, and the only one contained in one country. It is comprised of eight protected areas covering well over a million acres, and was declared by UNESCO in 2004 to be a World Heritage Site, of “outstanding universal significance to humanity.” As it covers the Mediterranean climate regions of the country, much of it lies in winegrowing areas. The Fair Trade movement, started in the 1940s, now works globally against poverty and exploitation. Involvement with wine is new, beginning in 2008 with Chile, Argentina, and South Africa. Because of the legacy of apartheid, South Africa’s Fair Trade guidelines are tied in with economic empowerment programs for previously disadvantaged workers. As of 2010, an alliance between the Wine and Spirit Board, the Integrated Production of Wine program, the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative and Wines of South Africa has been created. Called Sustainable Wine South Africa, it will certify sustainable production of wine, and enable traceability to vineyards and their growing practices. There is strong momentum in South Africa for fine wine. Many small producers are thoughtfully crafting wines from still‐young vineyards on carefully chosen sites. They are re‐educating themselves about how to get the best from older vineyards and warmer locations. New growing areas are being established along the western and southern coastline, well beyond the central area that includes Stellenbosch, Franschhoek and Paarl . There are associations to advance and promote individual varieties including Pinotage, Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc and Shiraz. Italian, Spanish and Portuguese grapes are also being explored. Rhone‐style blends, red and white, are becoming popular, as are blends of classic Bordeaux varieties, Cabernet Sauvignon based for the reds, Sauvignon Blanc with Semillon for the whites. An emerging category based on Chenin Blanc combined with white Rhone varieties, Sauvignon Blanc or Chardonnay is creating some of the most exciting wines in the country. South African wines offer a bridge between the all‐too polarized styles familiar to wine drinkers today. These wines have improved exponentially since democracy was established in 1994. They have joined the modern international wine community, delivering high quality at reasonable prices, with true greatness just around the corner. Joanna Breslin January 26, 2011