South Africa General/History

Question 1

Who established the first vineyard in South Africa?
When?
Where?

Answer 1

Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company in Cape Town in 1655.

Question 2

Which group brought with them a wealth of winemaking knowledge in the 1680s and 1690s?

Answer 2

French Huguenots

• Fleeing religious persecution in their homeland, came to the Franschhoek Valley
• Franschhoek Valley was once part of the Paarl district, but has now achieved status as a seperate district.

Question 3

What was the first new world wine to be coveted throughout Europe?

Answer 3

The sweet muscat based Vin de Constance/Constantia.

Legendary, 18th- and 19th-century dessert wines from the Cape, in South Africa, then a Dutch colony. At their height they commanded more prestige, more fabulous prices, and enjoyed more crowned patronage than the most celebrated wines of Europe (with the possible exception of Hungarian tokaji). It flourished under British colonial rule, but sank in the latter half of the 19th century (along with most South African wines) when powdery mildew and phylloxera struck.

Question 4

Who founded the Constantia estate? Where was it founded? When?

Answer 4

Governor Simon van der Stel

Founded near Cape Town in 1685 in Constantia (what is now a ward of the Coastal Region)

Question 5

When did Constantia find international acclaim?

Answer 5

In 1778 the estate was divided into two. Groot Constantia was sold to Hendrik Cloete, who renovated the property and brought international acclaim to the wines.

Question 6

What was Vin de Constance and what grapes were used?

Answer 6

A dried grape wine sold in the early 1800’s to a plethora of dignitaries.

Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains (also known in South Africa as Muscat de Frontignan or Muscadel) and its red-berried variant provided the base for white and red versions

Question 7

What are the two synonym for Muscat Blanc a Petits Grains in South Africa?

Answer 7

Muscat de Frontignan or Muscadel

-Muscat Blanc á Petits Grains and its red-berried variant provided the base for white and red version of Vin de Constance.

Question 8

Name 3 reasons South African wine declined in the second half of the 19th century?

Answer 8

—Powdery mildew and phylloxera.
—British abolished preferential tariffs in 1861, renewing competition between French wines and those of the Empire.
—Wines from the southernmost tip of Africa faced expensive ocean transit rather than a short hop across the English Channel, and the Cape’s export trade suffered greatly.

Question 9

What is the KWV and when was it formed?

Answer 9

—The Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika (Ko-operative Winegrowers Association of South Africa)(KWV) formed in 1918 with the support of 90% of South Africa’s growers.
—A cooperative of wine producers and growers, fixing minimum prices, determining areas of production and establishing production limits—powers formalized in the 1924 Wine and Spirits Control Act.
—It pulled the industry back from the brink of disaster but favored large producers and rewarded lower quality, as it set viable prices even for distillation wine.

Question 10

What spurred a renewal of the industry of South African wine in the 1990s?

Answer 10

End of apartheid in 1994 (economic santions and boycotts were lifted

KWV turned into a private company in 1997-relinquished statutory powers and scrapped quotas, encouraged growers to focus on quality.

Question 11

What trust was established in 1999 to speed transformation of South African wine and to empower black workers post apartheid-era labor practices?

Answer 11

South African Wine Industry Trust (SAWIT)

Question 12

What is the WO system and when was it introduced?

Answer 12

South Africa’s Wine of Origin system, introduced in 1973.

-compels producers seeking certification to submit a sample of the wine for evaluation by a tasting panel, which confirms that the wine shows the correct organoleptic (evaluations of the odor, flavor, and texture of food and medicine) qualities for its cultivar (variety) and age. The wine also undergoes scientific analysis.

Question 13

How many approved cultivar (varieties) are authorized under WO status?

Answer 13

Approximately 75 authorized.

Question 14

What percentage of a varietal must a South African wine contain under WO status?

Blends percentage?

Answer 14

85% of the stated grape

Blends may list several grapes, if vinification occurred separately and each listed grape comprises a minimum 20% of the wine.

Question 15

What percentage of a vintage must a South African wine contain under WO status?

Answer 15

85% of the stated vintage.

Question 16

If an area of production appears on the label, what percentage of stated area must a South African wine contain under WO status

Answer 16

100%

Question 17

What are the four production areas in South Africa in descending order of size?

Answer 17

—Geographical unit (i.e. Western Cape)
—Region (i.e. Coastal Region; like Italian IGT)
—District (i.e. Stellenbosch)
—Ward (i.e. Simonsberg-Stellenbosch; like AVA)

Question 18

What are requirements for “Single Vineyard” in South Africa WO system?

Answer 18

Single vineyards are officially registered vineyards that are no larger than six hectares in size and planted to a single variety. The wines produced from these are termed single-vineyard wines and can be labelled as such.

Question 19

What are requirements for Estate Wines in South Africa WO system?

Answer 19

Must be produced from contiguous parcels of vineyard land, and vinified and bottled on a single property.

Question 20

What is IPW?
What guidelines do they set?
What is the point system judged on?
What is the minimum score for certification?

Answer 20

Integrated Production of Wine Scheme
—a voluntary means of cerification for WO producers wishing to comply with sustainable environmental standards.
—sets guidelines for agricultural, manufacturing, and packaging practices, and certification falls under the jurisdiction of the SA Wine and Spirit Board.
—judged on a number of points, including worker safety measures, handling of wastewater, carbon emissions, use of pesticides and other chemicals, and vineyard biodiversity.
—Wines that meet a minimum score (60% or better) and qualify for WO certification will be marked with a joint seal, indicating a “sustainable wine of orgin” rather than the basic WO seal.
**By 2011, 85% of South African WO wine carried this new seal and virtually all WO wines in the future are expected to qualify for the IPW scheme as well.

Question 21

What are the 5 geographical areas of South Africa?

Where are they located?

Answer 21

—Western Cape (Most WO areas; 6 regions)
—Northern Cape (5 production areas)
—Eastern Cape (Single ward)
—Kwazulu-Natal- contain no other production areas.
—Limpopo- contain no other production areas.
(NEW)—Free State- single ward: Rietrivier FS “REE-tra-FEE”.

Question 22

What are the 5 production areas of Northern Cape?

Answer 22

Districts
—Douglas District
—Sutherland-Karoo District
Wards
—Central Orange River ward
—Hartswater ward
—Prieska ward (new) **(use to be Rietrivier FS “REE-tra-FEE” ward; now part of Free State G.U.)

Question 23

What is the sole ward of Eastern Cape?

Answer 23

St Francis Bay

Question 24

What geographical area contains most South African wine production?

Answer 24

Western Cape
—Small area in the southwestern corner of the country, and most WO areas are contained within it, including all six regions of South Africa.

Question 25

What are the 6 regions of the Western Cape (and South Africa)?
Locations

Answer 25

—Olifants River (far NW coast line, North of Coastal Region)
—Coastal Region (south of Olifants River, W/NW of Breede River Valley)
—Breede River Valley (east of Coastal region, west of Klein Karoo)
—Klein Karoo (east of Breede River Valley, north of Cape South Coast)
—Cape South Coast (West of the southern portion of Coastal Region (Stellenbosch), South of Breede River and Klein Karoo)
—Boberg (exists only for Paarl, Franschhoek, Wellington, and Tulbagh)

Question 26

What is the climate of the Western Cape?

What latitude is the Western Cape between?

Answer 26

—Mediterranean, with warm, sunny growing seasons

—27˚- 34˚

Question 27

What current flows north from Antarctica to cool the coastal areas of the Western cape?

Answer 27

Benguela Current.

Question 28

What wind blows across the Western Cape?

Answer 28

The Cape Doctor, a notoriously strong southeasterly wind, blows across the Western Cape throughout the spring and summer, inhibiting fungal disease and moderating temperature—but also ferociously battering the vines.

Question 29

What district offers the coolest climate in South Africa?

Answer 29

Cape Agulhas

Question 30

What is the most planted white grape in South Africa?

Answer 30

Steen (Chenin Blanc)

-occupies around 20% of the nation’s vineyards.

Question 31

What other important white grape varieties are found in South Africa?

Answer 31

Chardonnay
Sauvignon Blanc
Colombard
Cape Riesling
Hanepoot
Gewürztraminer

Question 32

What is Cape Riesling?

Answer 32

A synonym for Crouchen Blanc unrelated to Riesling.

Question 33

What is Hanepoot?

Answer 33

Muscat of Alexandria

Question 34

What is the crossing for Pinotage? Who developed it and when? What is the flavor profile?

Answer 34

Pinot Noir x Cinsault. Developed by Professor Abraham Perold in 1925. Distinctively smoky, fruity, pungent and full-bodied red wine.

Question 35

What is the most planted red varietal in South Africa?

Answer 35

Cabernet Sauvignon, overtook Cinsault as most planted red varietal.

Question 36

What other important red grape varieties are found in South Africa other than Pinotage, Cinsault, and Cab Sauv?

Answer 36

Merlot
Cabernet Franc
Shiraz
Pinot Noir
Tinta Barroca

Question 37

What is Pontac?

Answer 37

A teinturier grape linked to the old red wines of Constantia, enjoys a limited revival amongst dedicated producers

Question 38

What are traditional method sparkling wines known as in South Africa?

Minimum aging?
Min Pressure?
What abbreviation is often used for the style?

Answer 38

Cap Classique, produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.

Minimum aging on the lees for 12 months.
Minimum 3 bars of pressure

Method Cap Classique (often called “MCC” in the home country) in South Africa.

Question 39

After Cape Port and Sherry were phased out in 2012 what is Cape Port known as today?

Answer 39

Cape Port today is generally named according to its style: Cape Tawny, Cape Ruby, and so forth.

Question 40

What are the 4 bays of the South African coastline (N-S)

Answer 40

St. Helena Bay (along coast of Swartland)
Table Bay (along northern coast of Capetown)
False Bay (south of Capetown and Stellenbosch)
Walker Bay (along the coast of Walker Bay district)

Question 41

Name three mountain ranges in South Africa

Answer 41

Drakenstein
Hottentots Holland
Langeberg

*mountains play a large role in funneling the famous Cape Doctor, a powerful southeaster that can ward off rot and mildew, but can also batter young vines.

Question 42

What river is along the Northern Cape production areas?

Answer 42

Orange River—experiences a hot, arid climate and generally only suitable for bulk wines.

Question 43

What ocean does South Africa lie on?

Answer 43

Indian Ocean

Question 44

What is fynbos?

Answer 44

The mix of wild herbs and low bushes that characterises the Cape’s flora, dominating a generally treeless landscape.

-Climate often likened to the South of France; can think of fynbos as similar to CDP garrigue.

Question 45

What is Jerepigo?

Answer 45

A unique South African vin de liqueur made from Muscat known as Jerepigo (or Jerepiko). With Jerepigo, brandy is added to the must prior to fermentation, which leaves the wine with a residual sugar (RS) level of at least 160 grams per litre.