Wines and SpiritsWine Tasting In South Africa During the World Cup
The World Cup is only a year away with the scheduled start date set in June 2010. The World Cup is similar to the Olympics in that it brings people together from all over the world for a rollicking good time. This World Cup is also a chance to experience the wines of South Africa.
Nobody is looking forward to the World Cup more than the wineries of South Africa. Wine has been produced for hundreds of years in South Africa, but it was a local business only during the years of Apartheid when international embargoes were in place. The embargoes ended with Apartheid, but South African wine has never really seemed to catch on. This is a mistake as there are many excellent vineyards in the country.
South African wine is unique because most of the grapes produced are based on cross-breading of various vines. This makes the varietal claims of the vineyards fairly humorous as it seems every grape is a mix of two or more competing vines. Regardless, the result is a bevy of unique wines that are often like nothing youò€™ve tasted before.
The best of the wines in South Africa are the Chenin Blanc, Chardonnay and Pinotage. Despite the names, each is the result of a cross-breading program. The Chenin Blanc can be hard to find because the name is not used in the country. Instead, ask for ò€œSteen.ò€ The Pinotage is uniquely South African and excellent. It is a cross breading of Pinot Noir and the Cinsault grape of France. All and all, these are wines you do not want to miss.
Should you go to South Africa just to taste the various wine offerings? Probably not. It is a long, expensive trip for most people of the world. Going for the World Cup, however, makes sense. When your team inevitably gets bounced out, youò€™ll have a side trip to take with the promise that youò€™ll experience a new vintage that will have you taking notes in your wine journal and pasting labels from bottles!