South Africa

Apartheid. Nelson Mandela. Zulu Kings. Wildlife Safaris. When most people think of South Africa, a variety of things come to mind, but wine usually is not one of them. Yet that’s exactly what brought me to Stellenbosch, South Africa’s premier wine appellation, earlier this year. I was curious to see what the wine industry was like in a country with such a troubling, turbulent history, an industry that is still relatively elusive to the American consumer.

The R310 thoroughfare into Stellenbosch is dotted with vineyards and boutique wineries, or wine farms as they call them in South Africa. Deep purple pinotage grapes suspend from gnarled old vines and bright yellow chenin blanc grapes shine under the heat of the red African sun. The climate is warm Mediterranean, and the cooling effects from the tall mountain range to the east of Stellenbosch, coupled with the unique convergence of two oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian, make this area prime for grape growing. Yet this is no Napa Valley; the roads aren’t littered with traffic, and the wineries of Stellenbosch, and nearby Franschoek and Paarl seem rather sleepy compared to the tourist-driven hoards of the northern California wine country. Relatively few visitors but the occasional out-of-towner hover within these tasting room walls; most South Africans eschew wine tasting for a pint in the local pub. For the few who venture out to the wineries, the result is friendly, personalized service with little if any tasting fees, and if you’re lucky, you may even be able to meet the winemaker and tour the production facilities.