The first grapevines were planted in South Africa by Dutch settlers in the 1650s, though wine production did not really take off until the arrival of French Protestants in the 1680s with their viticultural skills and knowledge. Stellenbosch is also a historic wine region, with the first vineyards planted there in the 1690s.
Today South Africa is one of the most important wine producing countries in the Southern Hemisphere. With over 300 years of winemaking history, it is often described as a bridge between the Old and New Worlds. The majority of wines are produced using New World winemaking techniques, but they often have more stylistically in common with their Old World counterparts. Since the end of apartheid, South African wine has enjoyed international attention and acclaim for its wide variety of styles.
The South African wine industry is spread across the lush and rugged landscape of the Western Cape. Here, the abundance of mountains, valleys, and plateaus allows winemakers to produce a wide variety of styles. Vineyards can also be found in the Orange River region of the Northern Cape, where the flat and arid landscape is dominated by the Kalahari Desert. Most of South Africa's wine regions have a Mediterranean climate, strongly influenced by the meeting of the Atlantic and Indian Oceans.
The country's signature grape is Pinotage, an indigenous crossing of Pinot Noir and Cinsaut that is rarely found in significant quantities in other wine-producing countries. Shiraz (Syrah) is also widely planted, as are Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot (often blended together in a Bordeaux blend). South African Chardonnay, Chenin, and Sauvignon Blanc have become internationally popular in recent years.
