Drink South Africa: A Brief History of the South African Wine Industry

Part 1 of our limited series, Drink South Africa.

South Africa has produced wines of exceptional quality in the past 20 years, but the road there was not easy, and a complicated history has produced challenges for marketing in the US and other countries. In part one of our series, we explore this tumultuous history and its effect on the country’s export market. We’ll also touch on why you should be running to your nearest retailer to start squirreling away bottles.

Early Days

When we think of French, Italian, and Spanish wine, most of us tend to think of sprawling vineyards and centuries of romantic history and culture. South African wine, by contrast, seems to be regarded as a newer invention, something not commonly found filling pages on the world’s great wine lists. It’s typically regarded as “lesser” than the so-called Old World European wine. The lack of quality that once plagued the nation was more a result of political and social upheaval, as well as some plain old back luck than any inherent character. In fact, the industry isn’t a new invention at all; it dates back to the 17th Century when the first documented wines were produced by Dutch settlers in Cape Town.

The world was at first skeptical of South African wines, but necessity was the mother of invention when it came to a flourishing export market for the country. With Britain at war with France (and occupying the Cape of South Africa), they began importing the wine gang busters. The success was short lived, though, as Britain and France made up right around the time that the vines of South Africa became plagued with disease. When vines were pulled up and replanted, they were done so with more focus on quantity than quality. 

Exploitative labor practices also plagued the industry. Early days saw the enslavement of Southeast Asians brought to the country by force. Later, it was commonplace to pay workers less than a living wage, at which point a form of compensation known as the “dop” or “tot” was often used. The tot was a plentiful quantity of cheap wine, which gave rise to rampant alcohol dependency and abuse.

20th Century

In 1918 a winegrowers’ association called the KWV emerged, in an effort to stabilize the industry that seemed to have no collective focus. In the 1920s, the South African government bestowed regulating powers upon the KWV. While the group gave a uniform set of regulations to an otherwise disorganized industry, many modern winemakers argue that KWV did more harm than good.

Among the association’s guidelines was a grape production quota. This made it nearly impossible for those winemakers wishing to make top quality wines to do so. Having lower yields in the vineyard offers concentration and complexity of flavor. Without the ability to reduce grape production levels, a vineyard’s produce will almost certainly be destined for the bulk industry, often to produce brandy or fortified wine. By 1924, the KWV owned almost 95% of all vineyards, leaving little to no room for healthy competition or innovation. 

Winemaker Tim Hamilton-Russell recalled the struggle to begin producing high-quality wine in 1975. He was prohibited by government regulation from using “Chardonnay” or “Pinot Noir” on his labels, which placed a giant road block in the way of selling the wines on an international stage. Additionally, with the KWV’s rules in place, Hamilton-Russell was initially forced to produce wines in warmer sites, less suited for high quality Chardonnay and Pinot, in order to create enough vigor to produce the quantity of wine needed to meet the grape production quota.

Nelson Mandela Capture Site, Howick, South Africa

Apartheid

During the era of Apartheid, the reputation of South African wine fell even further from grace, with many markets boycotting import in protestation of the racist government policies. From 1986-1992, the US saw not a single shipment from the country.

Members of the Federation of South African Woman protesting against Apartheid in 1955.

In the mid 1980s, still almost 10 years from the end of Apartheid, John Platter of Clos du Ciel winery in Stellenbosch, along with a small group of winemakers created the Winelands Committment, in which they pledged to end discrimination and unfair labor practices in the wine industry. Tim Hamilton Russell was among the first to sign.

Post-Apartheid

The South African wine industry has seen a massive boom in quality since the end of Apartheid. Females, while still a minority, are becoming a larger portion of the community. Black Economic Empowerment, an integration program launched by the government to reconcile the crimes of Apartheid, including the disposession of land by lack South Africans, has encouraged more black wine ownership, though there is still a long way to go.

Why Drink SA?

Perhaps the most important question that still lingers is, “Why drink South African wine?” In a literal world of exceptional wine options, why spend your money and your palate here?

Holden Manz country house, Franschhoek, South Africa

1.Terroir

The climate of South Africa is effectively perfect for grape-growing. There are a variety of microclimates within the region, but putting it simply, ample sun and cool ocean breezes are a recipe for success.

Tokara restaurant, Stellenbosch, South Africa

2. Get Ahead of the Curve

If you’ve ever heard some older person say, “Yeah, I bought a case of this wine when it cost 20 bucks a bottle; now it’s worth $3,000,” and been super jealous, buy South African wine! It is currently selling for under market value. It’s effectively worth more than the amount for which we are purchasing. Look at it like this, the South African wine industry essentially had a rebirth around 1994, making it a 25-year-old industry. Compare that with Bordeaux or Burgundy with hundreds of years of history of focused high-quality wine-making. If the wine is this good now, imagine how good it will be in another 25 years, and imagine how much more highly it will be regarded. You can say you were drinking SA Chenin Blanc way ahead of the curve.

3. The People

The South African wine community is pushing the needle forward, for changes socially, politically, artistically. They are a generous community, where the tide raises all ships. The disruptions in history of the wine industry have been taken by many as an opportunity for unbridled experimentation to make the most stunning wines possible. At this point, they aren’t bound by overly stiff regulations, leaving wine professionals free to explore the highest possible level of excellence. Your dollars spent on their wine will make a difference. They will go to fund a changing, growing community of wine artisans, creating more and more beautiful bottles to land on your table.