South African Wine. Delicious Cabernet And Sauvignon Blanc. Try Pinotage Their Unique Red Wine

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This region has recently become a hot spot in the American wine market. It represents the last frontier of discovery of the American wine lover (Daily news).The Cape is the oldest wine region outside of the European continent.

Background Information to South African Wine

Viniculture in South Africa is influenced by both the mountains and the sea. The mountains trap the rain bearing clouds and give the vineyards considerably more rainfall than those in the hinterland. The cool breezes sweeping in off the Atlantic Ocean also has a profound effect on the vineyards. Those in the coastal regions, while receiving more than adequate sunshine, are cooled during the day by the breezes. The breeze also helps the coastal vineyard temperatures drop dramatically at night. The region is by nature comparable with both the Napa and Sonoma Valleys in California. The wine making techniques used in the Cape, however are traditionally French.

It all began in the 1650´s when the French Huguenots settled in the Cape of Good Hope. It immediately became apparent that the Cape offered the ideal climate and region for viniculture. The French Huguenots wasted no time and anxiously set out to re-establish the high quality of their noble art. It was not long before the Cape wines became a much sought after commodity back in Europe. It is interesting to know that both Napoleon and Henry VIII were adamantly loyal to Cape wines. In the 18th and 19th century Cape wines were being served in the finest dinning rooms across Europe. They have maintained their European popularity to this day.

Today Cape wines are well established in the finer wine markets in Europe and around the world It has only been with South Africa´s recent shifts towards democracy that their products, and best of all, their estate wines are now welcomed here in the United States.

Now, more than three centuries since the first vintage, South Africa is the world´s eighth-largest wine producer, with double the production of Australia and New Zealand combined. Their 5,000 wine growers have started paying attention to their export markets, most recently looking ambitiously towards making inroads here in the US.

South Africa has the following main regions for growing wine:

Constantia

Darling

Elgin

Paarl

Robertson

Stellenbosch

Swartland

Walker Bay

Worcester

The South Africa wine quality control regulations apply to all wine producers regardless of where their grapes are grown. Like the French appellation controllee system, these regulations guarantee that the words used to describe a wine on the label match up to the contents of the bottle. The Guarantee is underwritten by the Wine and Spirits Board, who certify all wines varietal character, vintage, and its area of origin.

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