South Africa Newspaper

South Africa Newspaper

South Africa Newspaper

Posted on: December 26, 2011 - 7:15 am
by Admin

"The first South African grape harvest was in 1659," reports Kevin Zraly in his book "Windows on the World Complete Wine Course" (NY: Sterling, 2009). That means that South Africa has been growing grapes and making wines for over 350 years.

The wine-producing region is located in the western and northern Cape regions, with vineyards at altitudes ranging from 300 to 1300 feet above sea level and with temperatures ranging from cool coastal climates to valley heat traps with summer days at 100°F, says Zraly.

Main Wine Regions of South Africa

The Cape wine lands on the south west coast are "the only ones in the world influenced by two oceans, the Atlantic and the Indian," Zraly notes. The western Cape produces 97% of all South African wine, leaving the Northern Cape the remaining three percent.

"The Winelands" which is sometimes taken to refer to wine producing areas east of Cape Town. In this article, the term is used to include the entire region. The most famous areas are: