South Africa

South Africans have been making wine since the Seventeenth Century when an employee of the Dutch East India Company, Jan Van Riebeeck, was given the task of planting vineyards in an effort to ward off scurvy.

The majority of South African wine is grown in the Western Cape area around Cape Town and traditional varieties include Chenin Blanc, Cinsault and Pinotage. Modern winemaking techniques are allowing producers to expand their horizons and they are now producing world class wines from most of the major international varieties. The Waterkloof Sauvignon Blanc is consistently superb, much closer in style to a top level Pouilly Fume than the more pungent and unsubtle New Zealand Sauvignons.

For everyday drinking and sheer consistency I love the False Bay wines especially the Chenin and Sauvignon Blancs, which both offer superb value for money.