South Africa

With great wines, food and service, the Cape is an ideal holiday destination, especially when British skies are cold and grey. A week or two spent there helps immeasurably in placing the wines in each region and building an appreciation of South Africa’s valuable vinous offering. Two oceans, two weather systems and two deep-sea currents meet at the Cape, leading to a diversity of weather between regions, even on a given day! This means that areas such as Stellenbosch, Paarl, Elgin and Constantia which are really not that far apart, all have a propensity to succeed with different grape varieties. The wine culture is almost the oldest in the New World, being brought by French Huguenots in the years after 1685 and with them cuttings of vines including Chenin and Sauvignon Blanc. Franschhoek even means ‘French Corner’!