ARTICLES | FIFA's World Cup Draws Attention to the Beauty of South African Wines
FIFA's World Cup Draws Attention to the Beauty of South African Wines
Posted by Madeline Johnson, June 19, 2010 | 2 Comments
The World is abuzz with Soccer's World Cup fever and South Africa's Wine industry is benefiting from the heat too. South Africa's wine regions are blessed with great soil, a hot mediterranean climate with cool breezes from the Atlantic and Indian Oceans. The most popular grapes grown in South Africa are the Cinsault which produces a fabulous Pinotage, the leading red in South Africa, and the Chenin Blanc, a late ripening grape producing a dry, crisp, tropical fruity white.
There are more than a dozen wine regions in South Africa with the three major regions being:
Constantia, a small historic region outside of Cape Town where South Africa's first vineyards were planted. This region is popular for its excellent Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon and Muscat.
Paarl is another important region northeast of Cape Town that produces a more diverse range of wines such as dessert wines as well as Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Shiraz.
Stellenbosch, just north of Cape Town, is the largest wine region housing more than 80 wineries well known for producing fantastic Chenin Blanc, Sauvignon Blanc, and reds like Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz and Merlot.
Other noteworthy regions, albeit smaller in rank than Constantia, Paarl and Stellenbosch but still key producers include Worcester, Klein Karoo, Franschhoek Valley, Mossel Bay, Walker Bay and Elgin.
Overall, South Africa's wine lands are considered some of the most beautiful on earth and with the attention from the World Cup, tourists can relish in its beauty and take in a game all while tasting some of the finest wines on the planet.
Yes, I have visited SA twice in the past 5 years on wine business for US Govt. They do have some beautiful wine lands.
don Hodgen wrote on Jun 25, 2010 12:58 PM:
Love Pinotage. actually brought back 10 different ones from SA and will compare it or should I say have a Pinotage Wine tasting along with the Pinotage I got from Winexpert
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