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The Cape Winelands |
The most famous towns located in the Cape wine lands are Stellenbosch, Paarl, Wellington and Franschhoek each of which is home to many wine estates known world wine for their award winning wines.
The history of Stellenbosch
When the Cape of Good Hope still was a small town, Cape Town's Governor Simon van der Stel ventured more inland to explore the untouched land. When he came across the Eerste River in 1679 he called the area Van der Stel se Bosch (Van der Stel's Bush).
The news about this rich and fertile valley which Cape Town's Govenor Simon van der Stel explored spread quickly and in 1680 the first families settled in this region. The town of Stellenbosch was declared in 1685. The first school was built in 1686 and a church soon followed during the same year. An annual celebration of Van der Stel's birthday, which is 14 October 1639, started in 1686 to honour its founder. It was Van der Stel who started an oak-planting project of which the results still line the streets of Stellenbosch, the "Town of Oaks". Thick green oak branches arch over the Victoria Street in spring in Stellenbosch, South Africa, while autumn provides a carpet of coloured leaves covering the avenues and sidewalks of this quaint town in the Cape wine lands.
Stellenbosch is the second oldest town in South Africa and many buildings, featuring various architectural styles, are very well preserved. During the last few years, a number of old Cape Dutch, Georgian and Victorian houses have been restored to their original beauty.
The wine and the culture of winemaking are woven into the intersting history of Stellenbosch. Simon van der Stel passed on his winemaking skills to the settlers, while the French Huguenots, who arrived to this region in South Africa from 1688 to 1690, also had a great influence on the wine-making industry. Today the Cape wine lands produces some of the world's finest wines.
The history of Paarl
After discovery of the Cape winlands in 1657, farms were granted to pioneers in 1687, which was followed by the arrival of the French Huguenots in the year 1688.
The pioneers set to work and in 1699 a water mill was in operation. The first church was built in 1720.
The Oude Pastorie (Old Parsonage) is a historic building, bought by the Municipality in 1937 to commemorate the 250th anniversary of the Huguenots' arrival. It was built in 1787 and is today home to a cultural museum.
Though not the oldest town, the establishment of the Paarl municipality in 1840 was a first in South Africa. Wagon building took place on large scale in this specific area in Paarl and played a major part in the exploration of the rest of South Africa.
The interesting Language Monument was inaugurated on 10 October 1975, representing the influence of Paarl inhabitants on the creation and development of Afrikaans.
The history of Franschhoek
In October 1687, Simon van der Stel and other pioneers took on the journey from Stellenbosch over Helshoogte and into the beautiful and fertile valley which is today the Franschhoek valley.
It is here where the pioneers established their farms along the banks of the Berg River and its tributaries. Simon van der Stel named this valley Drakenstein which is translated the dragon rock, named after the great estate in Holland belonging to the Lords of Mydrecht.
In 1688 over 150 French Huguenot refugees fleeing from religious persecution arrived in the Franschhoek valley.
The Huguenot Memorial in Franschhoek was constructed in 1938 to commemorate the 250th year of the Huguenots' arrival in the valley.
The history of Somerset West.
The farmers of the Hottentots Holland requested the establishment of a church for the area in 1817. The governor at the time was Lord Charles Somerset and the town was eventually named after him. Beautifully thatched cottages, historic buildings as well as national monuments reflect the old history of Somerset West.
The wine-making industry in Somerset West was introduced by Willem Adriaan van der Stel in the early 1700s.
The history of Wine in South Africa.
Commander Jan van Riebeeck planted the first vines in the Cape in the year 1655. Jan van Riebeeck had vegetables planted in the Company Garden in Cape Town which grew surprisingly well, suggesting that the Southern tip of Africa provided ideal conditions for the wine making industry. Simon van der Stel became governor of the Cape in 1679 and was an enthusiastic wine maker. Upon discovering the fertile Winelands valleys in South Africa, Simon van der Stel encouraged the planting of vines and passed on his wine-making expertise to early settlers in the Cape, South Africa.
Louis XIV King of France revoked the Edict of Nantes (a treaty guaranteeing religious tolerance) in 1685. As a result more than one hundred protestand French Huguenots decided to seek a better life and emigrate to the Cape in South Africa between 1688 and 1690. These French immigrants imported their savoir-faire of grape growing and wine-making and were given land in the fertile Franschhoek valley to cultivate.
Willem Adriaan van der Stel succeeded his father as governor of the Cape in 1699. Famous for his illegal doings, which had initially led to his exile, Adriaan van der Stel was also passionate about horticulture and agriculture, conducting extensive farming experiments. His farm, Vergelegen, is the origin of the present Somerset West and its wine route. Vergelegen is today is a beautiful wine estate situated on the outskirts of Somerset West, Western Cape South Africa, covering a vast area with rose gardens and very old trees.
Adam Tas became a Stellenbosch legend by trying to undermine Van der Stel's authority. He was a freeman who married a rich widow, thereby becoming part owner of a farm near Stellenbosch. In an effort to get richer, he sent a secret petition to the Council of XVII in Holland about the governor's illegal actions. The petition was rejected however and Tas was imprisoned by Willem Adriaan van der Stel. His farm was given to Jan Cornelis, who called it Libertas ("liberty"). The legend of Adam Tas still lives in many ranges of wine named after him.
A natural disaster struck the wine industry in 1885. Phylloxera, a root louse, infested the Cape vineyards. The cure came from Europe, also struggling with the same problem. Vitis vinifera was grafted onto American rootstock, which is resistant to Phylloxera.
As a result, the Cape vineyards were replanted and in 1904 large surpluses were produced. The resulting drop in prices led to the creation of Co-operative wineries, of which Helderberg Koöperatiewe Wynmakery in Somerset West was the first. Of the eight that followed, four were soon closed and prices tumbled again. The producers then formed the KWV,Co-operative Winegrowers' Association, in 1918. Today the KWV represent about 5000 winegrowers and offer their members a number of services to ensure the optimal use of their annual harvest.
Unique to South Africa is the Pinotage variety, a crossing of Hermitage and Pinot Noir. Professor Perold experimented with the crossing of vines in 1925 and produced the first Pinotage specimens. The first Pinotage wine, a 1959 vintage under the Lanzerac label, was marketed in 1961. The Pinotage Association was formed in 1995. Wines may be produced on estates, by co-operatives, private cellars or registered Producing Merchants.
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