For more than 350 years, the cultures of Africa, Europe and the East have mingled in Cape Town, the gateway to the South African Winelands, a city rich in colourful history and culturally vibrant. It was here that Nelson Mandela, in 1990, took his historic walk to freedom.
Today South Africa, a country of enormous diversity, is a peaceful democracy, home to the 'rainbow nation' From the very beginning, nearly 400 years ago, winemaking in South Africa has been on a zigzag course, pulled one way by considerable promise, and pushed in other ways by incompetence, self-interest, and a brutally opaque bureaucracy, to the point where, even now, it still seems to be reinventing itself.
At least, and at last, it seems to be on a more enlightened path, on matters of politics—always a strong factor there—and wine, though not without a variety of hazards, many serious.
As my guest today Jim Clarke, author of the book The wines of South Africa notes, “there is an entire story of winemaking and wine growing to be told.” His aim is to provide context and wide-reaching information for appreciating South African wines, and he achieves that with ease and clarity In this conversation, we covered the post-1994 movement, why Chenin Blanc is so popular in South Africa, what is the cape doctor and why is it vital to South Africa wine.
The Cape Doctor is a south-easterly wind during spring and summer and extends the impact of the Benguela current. It also has the advantage of inhibiting disease and bringing some occasional rain to the South Coast. It can, however damage leaves, thus affecting photosynthesis and ripeness, and severely affect the flowering process and berry set, reducing yields.
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Here are some links to learn more about the book and South Africa Wines:
https://infiniteideas.directfrompublisher.com/catalog/book/wines-south-africa
https://www.wine-searcher.com/regions-south+africa
https://www.wosa.co.za/home/
