South Africa’s Winelands of the Cape

Title: South Africa’s Winelands of the Cape
Subtitle: From Cape Point to the Orange River
Author: Gerald Hoberman; Marc Hoberman
Genre: Photobook, coffee-table book
Publisher: Gerald & Marc Hoberman Collection
Cape Town, South Africa 2014
ISBN 9781919939780 / ISBN 978-1-919939-78-0
Hardcover, 28 x 30 cm, 304 pages, 450 varnished colour photographs, 1 map

About: South Africa’s Winelands of the Cape

South Africa’s Winelands of the Cape reveals the unrivalled visual splendour, extraordinary diversity and the special multifaceted attributes that make the wine of South Africa's Cape winelands so special. Near the southernmost tip of the African continent is Elim, South Africa's most southerly wine region. The fierce southwesterly and southeasterly winds from the Atlantic Ocean constantly fan the grapes, ensuring very gradual ripening, inhibited skyward growth, and smaller berries bursting with flavour, natural acidities and a complexity that will excite and surprise even the most discerning connoisseurs. At South Africa's most northerly and largest vineyards the contrast is dramatic.

Picture a rugged, russet-coloured desert with quiver trees outlined against a near-cobalt blue sky and swathes of intense green vines flanking the mighty Orange River. The pristine, dry, virtually disease-free environment and abundant water, sunshine, alluvial deposits and soils of granite, dolorite and shale are just a few of the permutations of this river-regulated microclimate that enable skilful viticulturists to produce wines of depth and structure. The difference in style and flavour between the wines produced from the opposing banks of the river are a fascinating testimony to the subtleties of viticulture. Predominantly a white wine growing area, the region is ideal for the cultivation of Sultana, Colombard, Chenin Blanc and Hanepoot grapes.

Some three per cent of the vineyards along the Orange River grow Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Ruby Cabernet, Pinotage and Petit Verdot varietals, producing red wines of excellent quality. Between the southernmost and northernmost extremities of the Cape is an Aladdin's Cave of viticultural variety, a treasure trove for wine connoisseurs and lovers of natural scenic splendour without parallel. This is an enduring viticultural statement of splendour that we believe will leave an indelible visual footprint, associating South African wines of the Cape with their splendid and complex origins and creating a heightened appreciation of South African wines throughout the world.

Content: South Africa’s Winelands of the Cape

Map
Introduction
Cape Point
Constantia
Durbanville
Paarl
Stellenbosch
Franschhoek
Wellington
Tulbagh
Worcester
Breedekloof
Robertson
Klein Karoo
Elgin
The Hermanus Walker Bay
Wine Route
Elim & Cape Agulhas
Darling
Swartland
Cederberg
West Coast & Olifants River Valley
Orange River
Index