South African Wines
South Africa sits squarely between the "old world" and the "new world" when it comes to winemaking. Vines have been grown on the Cape and great wine produced for hundreds of years, but grape varieties, style, climate and geography all set it apart from Europe. More recently, South Africa has seen a surge of innovative winemaking from dynamic upstarts like Adie Badenhorst, Chris Alheit and Andrea and Chris Mullineux.
With extensive vineyard replanting and experimentation with new grape varieties and vineyard practices, South Africa has successfully shifted from a country of volume wine production to one of high quality. Great wines are now coming from lesser-known regions like Swartland while the more established wineries in Stellenbosch and Western Cape continue to delivery fantastic quality, particularly when it comes to Bordeaux Blends and Chardonnay.
