History

In 1652 when the Dutch East India Company established a refreshment station at the Cape to provide fresh food and water for its needs and those of passing Dutch ships. Commander Jan van Riebeeck successfully imported vines from France, Spain and the Rhinelands three years later and began experimenting with viticulture. Successfully as it turned out.

“Today, praise be to God, wine was pressed for the first time from Cape grapes”, wrote an ecstatic van Riebeeck on 2nd February 1659.

Today

South Africa’s wine industry has come a long way since the modest 15 litres of muscadel and “round white grapes” that were pressed that day. Vineyards cover over 100 000 hectares – many of them a long way away from the Company gardens below Table Mountain.

In 1972 legislation was passed to recognise and protect the distinctive qualities of certain areas, estates and cultivars. The Winelands are now divided into regions, (geographic) districts such as Stellenbosch, Paarl and Robertson, and smaller wards within these areas – such as Franschhoek and Bonnievale, near Swellendam. An Estate maybe made up of one or more farms, enjoying the same climate and ecology. A registered Estate may use only grapes grown on the farm for their wines.

Traditionally, Robertson (www.robertsonwinevalley.co.za) thanks to its hotter climate produces mainly white wines, many of them award winners. Along with race horses the “Valley of Wine and Roses” is now breeding some champion reds too, especially shiraz and cabernet.

At The Coachman Guest House we hold occasional wine tastings and encourage guests who are interested to visit nearby Bonnievale – a scenic 40 minute drive into the Little Karoo. Our favourites include Springfield, Bon Courage, Weltevrede and Viljoensdrift. If you’d like to combine food and wine, Bon Courage and Weltevrede do light lunches, while Viljoensdrift combine wines with picnic cruises on the Breede River. Nearby Fraai Uitsicht produces its own excellent merlots to accompany outstanding food in a picturesque setting.

For everything you ever wanted to know about South African wines– and then some - we recommend John Platter’s South African Wines ( www.platterwineguide.co.za), which is widely available in local book shops . Wine Magazine’s Pocket Guide (www.winetoday.co.za) offers a comphrehensive digest and useful lists of the most highly rated wines in South Africa.