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History of South African wine

Overview
South Africa's history of wine making goes back 350 years and is tied to the arrival of the first European settlers at the then Cape of Good Hope (Cape Town). Since then many people and events have made an impact on the industry. In the new South Africa the biggest challenges facing the industry include fierce global competition and the empowerment of blacks, previously disadvantaged by colonialism and Apartheid.

What follows below is a summary of the history of wine in South Africa as taken from the Wines of South Africa website (see link at the bottom of this page). For more on general South African history, click here. For more on South African wines, click here.


Early Days
Jan van Riebeeck The establishment by the Dutch East India Company of a refreshment station at the Cape in 1652 had one single aim: to provide fresh food to the company's merchant fleet on their voyages to India and surrounding areas. But much more evolved than that - the establishment of a trading station led to a flourishing wine industry and later to the birth of a nation.

Jan van Riebeeck, the first governor of the Cape, planted a vineyard in 1655, and on 2 February 1659, the first wine was made from Cape grapes. This led to the planting of vines on a larger scale at Roschheuvel, known today as Bishopscourt, Wynberg. Van Riebeeck strongly encouraged farmers to plant vineyards although initially they were most reluctant.

There were many setbacks in the beginning, chiefly because of the farmers' ignorance of viticulture. Things improved when Simon van der Stel, who was not only enthusiastic but also very knowledgeable about viticulture and winemaking, succeeded Van Riebeeck in 1679. He planted a vineyard on his farm Constantia and made good wine from the outset. Later, Constantia was acquired by the Cloete family and their wines became world-famous. To this day, Constantia wine is mentioned when the world's finest examples are discussed.

The French Huguenots Monument in Franschoek near Cape Town.The Dutch had almost no wine tradition and it was only after the French Huguenots settled at the Cape between 1680 and 1690 that the wine industry began to flourish. As religious refugees, the Huguenots had very little money and had to make do with the bare essentials. They also had to adapt their established winemaking techniques to new conditions. But with time their culture and skills left a permanent impression on our wine industry, and on life at the Cape.


Cape wines before the 20th century
The 18th century was a difficult phase for the wine industry. There was resistance to Cape wines from the European and Far East export markets and the quality of some Cape wines left much to be desired. A critical shortage of oak vats made it difficult to age wine properly. Some of the vats used for exporting wine had previously even been used to brine meat. Meanwhile, the industry struggled to identify the best varieties for each district and to adapt winemaking techniques to local conditions.

The first half of the 19th century brought prosperity to the industry. The British occupation of the Cape, in addition to Britain's war with France, created a large new market for Cape wines. The vines at the Cape increased within 45 years from 13 to 55 million and wine production from 0,5 million to 4,5 million litres.

Statue titled "the parting" at the Womans Memorial commemorating the Anglo Boer War and the thousands of Afrikaans woman and children who died in British concentration camps.However, 1861 brought disaster. Britain finally resolved her differences with France, and South Africa's wine exports collapsed. In 1886, the disease phylloxera was discovered at the Cape and decimation of the vineyards followed.

The year 1899 saw the beginning of the Anglo - Boer War. The wine industry was in chaos. A proliferation of new plantings caused overproduction and 25 years of hardship followed.


It was Charles Kohler who set out to alleviate the situation. His efforts led to the creation in 1918 of the Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika Beperkt (KWV). An umbrella for its farmer members, the KWV brought stability to the industry, placing it on the road to growth and prosperity. The foundation was laid for today's thriving wine industry.


Important developments since 1900
  • 1906 -The first co-operative winery, the Drostdy Ko-operatiewe Keller Beperkt, was founded in Tulbagh.
  • 1918 - The Ko-operatiewe Wijnbouwers Vereeniging van Zuid-Afrika (KWV) was formed, saving the industry from disaster.
  • A Simonsig Red Hill Pinotage1925 - Professor Perold successfully cross-pollinated Pinot Noir with Hermitage (Cinsaut) to develop South Africa's own grape variety, Pinotage.
  • 1935 - Stellenbosch Farmers' Winery (SFW) Limited was founded.
  • 1936 - Nederburg wine farm was bought by Johann Graue, a German immigrant who used cold fermentation for making white table wine in the 1950s.
  • 1940 - The Wine and Spirit Control Amendment Act was passed to control the minimum price for good wine.
  • 1945 - Distillers Corporation was founded.
  • 1950 - Gilbeys SA was founded.
  • 1955 - The Viticultural and Oenological Research Institute (VORI) was founded. Today it is known as Nietvoorbij.
  • 1959 - SFW launched Lieberstein, a semi-sweet table wine which revolutionised wine-drinking habits in South Africa.
  • 1961 - The first Pinotage, a 1959 under the Lanzerac label, was marketed.
  • 1964 - Lieberstein sales topped 31-million litres, becoming the world's largest selling bottled wine.
  • 1965 - SFW, Monis and Nederburg amalgamated.
  • Part of the Bergkelder wine cellars1968 - Distillers built the Bergkelder with its maturation cellars tunneled into Papegaaiberg in Stellenbosch.
  • 1971 - Stellenbosch Wine Route, the first wine route in the country, was founded.
  • 1973 - The Wine of Origin legislation was instituted.
  • 1975 - The first Auction of Rare Cape Wines was held at Nederburg.
  • 1979 - The Cape Wine Academy* (CWA), the wine industry's general education body, was founded in Stellenbosch by SFW in October.
    - The restructuring of the Liquor Industry by government sanction took place.
  • 1980 - Regulations regarding the residual sugar content of table wine changed - for the first time provision was made for wine exceeding 30g per litre.
  • A Lord Neethling Laurentius from Neethlingshof Wine Estate in the Cape Winelands.1983 - The Cape Winemakers' Guild (CWG), an independent association, was formed.
  • 1984 - Flavoured wines introduced to the market.
  • 1985 - The inaugural CWG wine auction was held.
  • 1990 - Changes in the Wine of Origin legislation.
    - The SA Wines & Spirits Export Association (SAWSEA) was established.
  • 1991 - First National Bottled Wine Show and inaugural Veritas awards.
  • 1992 - The quota system was scrapped.
    - Merger of KWV wine courses with the CWA.
    - The Méthode Cap Classique Association was formed.
  • 1993 - The Port Producers' Association was formed.
  • 1995 - The Pinotage Association was formed.
    - KWV International was founded.
  • 1996 - Stellenbosch Vineyards (Pty) Ltd was founded.
  • 1997 - KWV Registered as a private company on 01 December.
    - ARC Infruitec - Nietvoorbij was founded.
  • Devon Valley near Stellenbosch in the Cape Winelands1998 - The new Liquor Bill, a three - tier system, was approved by parliament.
    - The CWA was registered in an independent Trust.
  • 1999 - The new Liquor Bill rejected as unconstitutional and referred back to parliament for amendment.
    - The South African Wine Industry Trust was established to advance the transformation of the wine industry and promote exports.
  • 2000 - The inaugural Cape Wine 2000, showcasing South African wines, was held.
    - SAWSEA was renamed     Wines of South Africa* (WOSA). An independent, non-profit company representing all exporters of South African wines, its aim is to build Brand South Africa internationally.
    - The Chenin Blanc Association was formed.
    - SFW and Distillers Corporation merged to form one company, Distell.
  • 2001 - The Muscadel Association was formed.
  • 2002 - Cape Wine 2002 - a major success for the South African wine industry.
    - Joint venture between Australia's BRL Hardy and Stellenbosch Vineyards (SV) was announced - a first for the local industry.
    - The SA Wine Industry Ethical Trading Association (WIETA) was established.
    - The Shiraz Association was formed.
    - The KWV split into two separate entities: a commercial company, KWV Limited, and Wijngaard Co - operative, which provides services to and looks after the interests of producers.
    - White wines were bottled under screw caps by several South African producers.
    - The CWA was transferred by Distell to an independent group of management specialists called pointBreak.
  • 2004 - Cape Wine 2004 was held at the Cape Town International Convention Centre (CTICC); a resounding success, it attracted wine media and buyers from across the country and around the globe.
    - South Africa celebrates 10 years as a peaceful democracy.

(Source: Wines of South Africa, see link below)

 
Internet resources: Wines of South Africa* | South African Wine Information Centre* | The Wineanorak's guide to South African wine* | National Library of South Africa's "Fruit of the Vines" * | The Pinotage (cyber) Club* | LocalWineEvents.com (international)* | Cyber Cellar (on-line shop for South African wines)* | John Platter South African Wine Guide (highly recommended - subscription based site)* | The Cape Wine Academy* | South African wines in the news (Google)* | Google results for "South African wines" *
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