Wines of South Africa

Africa, culinary cultures — By Bob Riel on July 2, 2007 at 11:44 am

If you like wine and are interested in a slightly off-the-beaten-track vacation, perhaps you should try South Africa. The Boston Globe just ran a story about a vineyard-hopping vacation to that country.

The whites who migrated to South Africa often described it as the land of milk and honey. Now, it has become known as the land of pinotage and chenin blanc. France and California may have the name brands, but South Africa’s Cape Winelands are beautiful and bountiful, with climate and terroir perfectly suited to the grape.

South Africans like to say their wines combine the best of the old and new worlds. Since sanctions against imports were lifted at the end of apartheid in 1994, the wines are becoming better known throughout the world. Not that the industry itself is new: The first grapes were planted by a Dutchman 350 years ago.

Stellenbosch, with a population over 120,000, is the second oldest European settlement in South Africa, less than an hour east of the oldest, Cape Town. It is the seat of the wine industry, and makes a great home base from which to explore the nearby towns of Paarl and Franschhoek, with their wine estates.

Because of the University of Stellenbosch, it has a college-town feel, with outdoor cafes, boutiques, and an active night life. Throughout the wine towns, the architecture is Dutch Colonial, with white-washed, gabled buildings and thatched-roof cottages.