South African Wine

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South African Wine

The father of the South African wine industry was a 33-year old Dutch surgeon sent out to establish a market garden to reduce the risks of scurvy on the long sea passage between Europe and the Indies. Jan van Riebbeck, the Cape's first European settler was a reluctant pioneer and no viticulturist. His brief was to set up a supply station for Dutch East India company sailors on the spice route and the Cape's Mediterranean climate suggested vines might well flourish. In South Africa a vine variety is known as a cultivar and South Africa is a cultivar-conscious wine country. South Africa has its "own" grape called Pinotage a crossing between Cinsulat and Pinot Noir made by Professor Perold in 1925 at the Univerity of Stellernbosch. Pinotage at best produces an easy drinking, slightly aromatic red wine with some classic sweet berry flavours, tannins and length.

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