Regional info.

The South African wine industry is buzzing at the moment. And with an unbeatable combination of fantastic scenery, a warm climate and affordable, high-quality wine, the western Cape is currently a happening tourist destination. It seems that just about everyone's catching the SA bug.

The political events of recent years have had an incredible effect on the South African wine industry, and have opened huge gates - from the export point of view, but also internally. There has been a major rethink of how things are done there, the Government has set up bodies to encourage and help people, and the result is many tremendous wines.

One thing that hasn't changed, of course, is the favourable Mediterranean climate generated by the raging African sun, the cold Benguela current streaming up from Antarctica and the conflict of warm and cold winds whistling in off the Indian and Atlantic Oceans respectively. The result is warm summers, rather than hot, and wet, but mild winters relatively unaffected by frost. Or sometimes, as they say over there, 'four seasons in one week.' The macroclimate is complemented by innumerable mesoclimates offered by the mountainous terrain, highly varied soils and equally varied regional rainfalls (as little as 350mm in some areas, more than twice that in others). All in all, the perfect recipe for a wine-producing nation.

About 50 km from Cape Town, Paarl is situated beneath a large granite outcrop formed by three rounded domes, the prominent one named Paarl (which means pearl) rock. This scenic town is home to the KWV and the venue for the world-renowned Nederburg Auction. The summers are long and warm, and rainfall enough to make irrigation advantageous only in exceptional circumstances. A large variety of grapes are grown in Paarl, of which Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc have the best potential.

The Paarl district includes the wards of Wellington, a burgeoning wine area which is producing some promising wines; Simonsberg-Paarl, on the prime foothills of the Simonsberg; and Voor Paardeberg. Some of the Wellington wineries stretch over alluvial terraces towards Swartland's rolling hills and wheat fields, while others are found in the foothills of the towering Hawequa mountains, where folds and valleys create unique mesoclimates. Wellington, which supplies over 90% of the South African wine industry with cuttings, has some 30 grapevine nurseries, situated here due to the appropriate soils and warm summers. In winter, snow sometimes covers the mountain tops and night temperatures are generally cooler than at the coast some 60 km away.

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