Wine in South Africa

South Africa is well known for its wine with the first bottle being produced in Cape Town in 1659. It experienced a real boom after apartheid ended and the country is the world's eighth biggest producer, and sixth biggest exporter of wine. Over 80% of South Africa's wine stays in the country.

The majority of the wine (but certainly not exclusively so) comes from the western Cape. Big name areas include Constantia, Stellenbosch, Paarl (including Franschhoek), Breede Rver Valley and Overberg.

Many of the vineyards have tasting rooms, lots have restaurants and you can also stay at some of them. In Franschhoek you'll even find a wine train

The commonest grape is Chenin Blanc (18% of vineyards), followed by Colombard (12%), Cabernet Sauvignon (11%), Shiraz (10%), Sauvignon Blanc (9%), Chardonnay (8%), Pinotage (7%) and Merlot (6%).

You will generally find that even a small supermarket has a great selection of wines at very decent prices.