The wines of South Africa - James Seely

Wine growing in South Africa has a long and fascinating history. In the last century the sweet white wines of Constantia were rated amongst the finest in the world. Then everything went wrong. As demand went up, quality went down and the market with it, so that Constantia became a memory. The growers and shippers concentrated on fortified wines in imitation of sherry and port. But now the term 'South African Sherry' may no longer be used in Europe and that trade, too, has vanished. In the recent past, South African wines, moreover, were shunned on account of apartheid. Now a new political age has arrived and with it wine growers dedicated to quality, bringing out the unique character derived from the soils and the near perfect climate for grape growing enjoyed by so many different parts of the country. The choice is abundant and the wines are excellent. They are now becoming available in increasing quantities for the first time and this book tells the whole of a complex and fascinating story, guiding the reader through a new and exciting range of very high quality wines.