The story of South African wine, from Cape Colony to now

On 2 February 1659, Jan van Riebeeck, the Dutch governor of the Cape Colony, wrote in his diary: "Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes." That is the start of a wine culture that has since survived rather more upheaval than most.

For anyone in the UK looking past the familiar European regions, South African wine offers an unusual combination: Old World habits, New World willingness to experiment, and value that is getting harder to find anywhere else.

Dutch roots and French expertise

The Dutch East India Company was not trying to build a wine industry. It needed a refreshment station for ships heading to the East Indies. But the Mediterranean climate, varied soils and mountain-sheltered valleys turned out to suit the vine extremely well.

The real change came in the 1680s, when French Huguenots fleeing religious persecution arrived at the Cape. They settled in what is now Franschhoek, the French corner, and they were not simply farmers. Many were skilled vignerons from Champagne and Burgundy, and the techniques they brought set the standard for the next three centuries.

By the early 1700s Cape wine had international standing. The sweet wine of Constantia became famous across Europe, appeared on royal tables, and Napoleon reportedly insisted on it during his exile on St Helena. This was not a colonial curiosity. It was wine that competed with the best France could offer.

Two hard centuries

The 19th century threw enough at the industry to finish it off. The abolition of slavery disrupted the labour system the farms had been built on. The Anglo-Boer wars wrecked the countryside. Phylloxera, having destroyed much of Europe's vineyard, eventually reached the Cape. Growers replanted and carried on.

The early 20th century brought consolidation. The KWV, the Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging, was formed in 1918 to stabilise prices and protect growers. It delivered stability and, over time, a focus on volume rather than quality, in what is sometimes called the brandy and fortified years. KWV still exists and still makes good everyday wine, including KWV Classic Chenin Blanc at £10.59 and the Roodeberg red blend at £12.19.

Then came apartheid and the international sanctions that closed most export markets. The isolation had an odd side effect: with the world not watching, winemakers turned inward, experimented, and refined technique for a market they could not yet reach.

After 1990

When Nelson Mandela walked free in 1990 and the country moved to democracy, the industry was better prepared than anyone expected. Markets reopened, investment arrived, and a generation of winemakers who had trained in Europe and Australia came home wanting to make wine that tasted of the Cape rather than of somewhere else.

Stellenbosch confirmed itself as the country's Bordeaux, producing serious Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot. Walker Bay turned out to suit Pinot Noir and Chardonnay. And the Swartland, long written off as too hot to bother with, began producing some of the most interesting wine in the country.

The same period rehabilitated Pinotage. Created in 1925 by Professor Abraham Perold by crossing Pinot Noir with Cinsault, then called Hermitage, it had spent decades being treated as a novelty. Once producers began handling it with the care given to noble varieties, the results changed minds. Kanonkop Kadette Pinotage at £19.49 is where to see it done properly.

Where it stands now

The modern scene is unusually varied. Franschhoek producers make wine that nods to Huguenot heritage while using entirely contemporary methods. The Hemel-en-Aarde Valley has become a serious cool-climate address. And in the Swartland, winemakers are working with old bush vines that only survived because nobody thought them worth pulling out.

Sustainability has been taken seriously here earlier than in most places. South Africa leads on biodiversity conservation within wine regions, with many estates setting aside significant land for indigenous flora and fauna, on the straightforward basis that healthy ecosystems make better wine.

The value argument remains strong. As top Burgundy and Bordeaux have moved out of reach, Cape equivalents have not. A premium Stellenbosch Cabernet that would cost £80 with a Bordeaux label might be £25 from here. Meerlust Red at £19 makes that case as well as anything.

Why it suits British drinkers

The long connection between the two countries means a lot of Cape producers have made wine with British tastes in mind. The climate also gives wines good natural acidity, which is what you want alongside food rather than instead of it.

There is a useful spread of price too. A perfectly good Chenin Blanc under £10, or a special-occasion Cabernet Sauvignon well under £30. Wild Garden Chenin Blanc at £9.79 and Warwick First Lady Cabernet Sauvignon at £13.49 are the two ends of that.

It also gifts well. For South Africans in the UK missing home, or for anyone who wants to give something with a story attached, these bottles do more work than another familiar label would.

What comes next

Climate change is pushing viticulture towards higher, cooler sites, and Cape producers are adapting faster than most. New areas are emerging, old varieties are being rediscovered, and the general standard keeps rising.

From van Riebeeck's first glass in 1659 to now is three and a half centuries of history, disruption and stubbornness. Our South African red wines and white wines ranges are where to start tasting it, and we deliver across the UK.