Region Of The Week: Western Cape
In 1652, the Dutch East India Company established a port at the Western Cape for their merchants to eat and refuel, which led to trading and eventually a booming wine industry. The first wine made in Western Cape was in 1659 by Jan van Riebeeck, the first governor, who encouraged farmers to also try their hand at planting vineyards and making wine. It wasn’t until the French Huguenotes settled there in the 1680s that their wine industry started to flourish, with the French’s expertise positively impacting the Cape’s winemaking.
Now, South Africa is the 7th largest wine producing country in the world. Spanning across 87,800 hectares, the Western Cape is home to noble grapes like Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Shiraz, and Pinot Noir. They also grow local crosses of imported varietals like Pinotage (Pinot Noir and Hermitage), Roobernet (Cabernet Sauvignon and Alicante Bouschet), and Chenel (Chenin Blanc and Ugni Blanc). With 30 diverse regions, the top 6 wine producing districts are Breedekloof, Robertson, Stellenbosch, Olifants River, Worcester, and Paarl. Benefitting from being along the coast, the Western Cape is typically cool with a decent breeze coming off the sea, with the climate getting more Mediterranean the further inland you go.
