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HISTORY OF CAPE WINES
EARLY TIMES
The first South African vineyard was planted
by Commander Jan van Riebeeck in 1655
and, on February 2, 1659 he recorded this
famous phrase in his diary: “Today, praise
be to God, wine was pressed for the first
time from Cape grapes,”
Under Van Riebeeck’s successor, Simon
van der Stel, viticulture flourished – he
developed Groot Constantia into a model
farm. In 1688, the French Huguenots arrived
in South Africa. Both they and the German
settlers later made a valuable contribution
to the development of a South African
wine culture. During the 18th century,
Constantia’s famous dessert wines earned
international recognition for Cape wines,
however this was followed by a period
of decline. Protective tariffs in Britain
were abolished and by 1880, phylloxera
– a plague that destroys vine roots – had
devastated South African vineyards. After
the discovery that American rootstock was
resistant to phylloxera, local vineyards were
replanted with grafted rootstock.
Attempts to counteract overproduction and
low prices led to the establishment of KWV
(Co-operative Winegrowers Association) in
1918. This was followed by the introduction
of minimum prices and production quotas
to ensure a stable market. Since then,
the industry has made significant strides
forward with the application of the most
scientific viticultural practices and the
use of the most modern cellar equipment.
Continued research into varieties, soil types
and fermentation keeps it at the forefront
of developments.
The introduction in 1957 of cold
fermentation resulted in a better bouquet
and improved quality of white wines. It also
increased the popularity of semi-sweet
wines. In 1973, a comprehensive system of
control was introduced for ’wines of origin’.
Thirteen areas of origin were designated
and limitations placed on the use of the
term ‘estate’, vintage dates and grape
variety designations. Local wine industry
regulations were brought in line with those
in Europe, contributing to varietal and
classic wines becoming more popular.
In 1975, the first auction of rare Cape wines
took place at Nederburg in Paarl, near Cape
Town. This was to become the showpiece
of the South African wine industry.
A NEW CENTURY
By the end of the 20th century, KWV had
been transformed and new groupings
had formed as other co-operative wine
cellars converted into companies and
restructured to suit changing local and
global market conditions. These changes
would positively influence the wine
industry in the 21st century.
KWV changed from a co-operative to a
company in December 1997. After lengthy
negotiations between the Minister of
Agriculture and KWV, the Wine Industry
Trust was established in February 1999 by
these two parties. The aim was to fund and
manage generic promotion and research
for the South African wine industry, to
assist with the establishment of new
farmers from previously disadvantaged
groups, and to promote the development
of farm worker communities.
In 2001, Stellenbosch Farmers’ Winery
and Distillers Corporation merged to
form a new liquor giant, Distell. Today,
Distell’s brands are sold in over 100
countries. Wines of South Africa (WOSA),
an independent, not-for-profit company
formed in 2000, represents all South
African wine exporters and promotes their
wines abroad, with the aim of building
Brand South Africa. In 2004, Stellenbosch
Vineyards and Vinfruco merged to form
Omnia Wines – relaunched in 2006 as The
Company of Wine People – a major player
involved in the process from vineyard to
consumer, locally and internationally.
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CAPE WINE INDUSTRY:
FACTS AND FIGURES
The total area under bearing vines (wine
and table grapes) is approximately 115 418
hectares (excluding sultana), ranking South
Africa 14th in the world. This represents 1.7%
of global area under vines. The average
annual wine grape crop yield is 772 litres per
gross ton, the total crush averaging about
1.3 million tons annually. Producing 3.5% of
global production volumes, South Africa
ranks eighth in the world (as at end 2010).
Of the 3 527 primary grape producers in
the country, 41.4% produce 100 tons or less
and 36.1% between 101 and 500 tons during
2011. In 2011, a total of 582 cellars produced
wine in South Africa. Of the 52 producer
cellars, 34 crushed more than 10 000 tons
and of the 505 private cellars, 453 crushed
less than 1 000 tons.
The wine industry directly and indirectly
supports some 275 606 people and
contributes about R26.2 billion to the
country’s GDP (including tourism), with
about R14.2 billion remaining in the Western
Cape to benefit its residents. Annually, an
estimated R4.3 billion (turnover) is also
generated indirectly through tourism in the
Winelands (2009 figures).