South African Winemaking

The origin of South African wine dates back to the mid 17^th century when the Dutch East India Company started vineyard plantations and wine production. The first wine was produced in the estate of Constantia near Cape Town and the quality of the wine earned it a good reputation in Europe. The advent of British rule saw a surge in the production of wine in South Africa and huge quantities were exported to Britain.

This trend continued for quite some time till French wine gained ascendancy towards the end of the 19^th century. Several natural causes like viral epidemics that destroyed vast areas of plantation, also contributed to the depression of the wine making industry in this country.

In the early part of the 20^th century vineyards were replanted and there was a renewed surge in wine production. High yielding varieties of grapes were planted and various measures were undertaken to protect the plants from devastating viral attacks. But due to the policy of apartheid adopted by the country, its wines were generally neglected. The end of apartheid in the 1990s, brought along good news and since then South African wine has gained prominence and is now one of the top ten wine producing countries in the world.

The vineyards in South Africa are spread mainly over a vast area in the Western Cape, and a few areas in the Northern Cape region. The soil and unique geographical conditions of these regions consisting of mountains and valleys are conducive to vineyard plantation. The Mediterranean climate in the cape areas that are bounded by the Atlantic and Indian oceans makes it ideal for cultivation of grapes and production of wines.

The dry sunny weather prevents mildew, the scourge of vineyards, from attacking the plants. It is only in the winter months when there is some rain that the planters have to be careful about fungal attacks. An interesting factor here is that the strong gale winds blowing in from the seas are very useful as they decrease the risk of fungal infections of the plants and also control the humidity and prevents damage to the grapes.

Vineyards in South Africa were initially planted at a density of about 3,000 vines per acre. This increased the yield but it also increased the risk of epidemics that could wipe out vast areas of plantations. Later on planters focused more on high yielding varieties of grapes than on quality varieties. The end of apartheid saw a shift towards more scientific methods of plantation, where plants of high quality were planted and the average density was reduced to about 1,300 vines per acre.

Modern methods of viticulture are now employed which raise the quality of the produce. Effective modern techniques of irrigation are now being employed as this is a very important factor for proper cultivation in these dry areas. Steps are also being adopted to reduce the risks of fungal and mildew attacks. Integrated Pest Management programs are also being initiated to combat attacks from pests like mealy bugs.

The South African wine industry has established an improvement program which conducts researches to improve the quality of wine. Cloning and other methods of combining varieties of grapes are being done to bring out improved new wines that will take the industry to the top ranks amongst the wine producing countries of the world.