Day 5 in South Africa: Constantia, Cape Point and sheet rain

The final day of my South African itinerary was a really good one, only partially spoiled by some really awful weather. From lunchtime onwards, it poured with rain in true English fashion. This was pretty annoying, because we had left some time free in the afternoon for some R&R – specifically, we'd planned to go down to Boulders Beach to see the penguins. This was not to be.

The day started with a visit to Klein Constantia, where winemaker Adam Mason gave us a tour of their wonderfully scenic vineyards followed by a vertical tasting of the Vin de Constance, their remarkable sweet wine. It acknowledges the great sweet wines of hundreds of years ago coming from this region, which were among the most sought after in the world, but which went out of production. Klein Constantia revived them, and this tasting showed that it's a really serious wine that ages beautifully. The 1999 was my favourite of a very high quality line-up.

Our driver couldn't seem to find our next appointment – Eagles' Nest, a new Constantia producer. But eventually we did, and it was well worthwhile. They're making three wines: Merlot, Shiraz and Viognier, from some steep slopes on the side of the mountain. The Merlot is pure, refined and elegant, the Shiraz very old-world Syrah-style, with meat, pepper and vibrant fruit, and the Viognier is probably the best I've tasted from South Africa. One to watch.

Then, to the final appointment of the trip: Cape Point, with winemaker Duncan Savage (above). We tasted the wines over a really good lunch at the Food Barn, and I was very impressed. Duncan is known for making one of South Africa's top-rated Sauvignons, but he also does great Chardonnay and Semillon. He's currently shifting the focus of his Sauvignon away from the more methoxypyrazine style to one with more richness and depth, and he's stopping doing the Semillon because he wants to use this variety more as a blending component. These already wonderful wines will probably get even better. By the time we finished lunch the sheet rain had set in, so the visit to the beautiful Cape Point vineyard was a brief and damp one.

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5 Mountain Passes Day Tour

Perfect Climate in South Africa for the Wine Industry

In South Africa, viticulture originated and still mainly takes place at a latitude of 27°-34° south in an area with a Mediterranean climate. The Western Cape is cooler than its position might suggest, with conditions that are ideal for growing a wide range of noble wine cultivars. The traditional winegrowing areas along the coastal zone are seldom more than 50 km from the ocean and experience beneficial coastal conditions, especially cool sea breezes. The temperate climate features warm summers and cool winters with frost rarely a problem.
Rain falls mainly between May and August, and diminishes in a northerly and northeasterly direction, in the latter case caused by the prominent mountain ranges which follow the coastline, making irrigation essential in these areas. Temperature is probably one of the most important factors affecting the grapevine as it has an effect on almost every aspect of its functioning. Temperatures follow an inverse pattern to rainfall, increasing in a northerly direction and with distance from the sea.
The impressive Cape mountain ranges form a dramatic backdrop to one of the most beautiful wine-producing areas of the world. The vineyards lie on the valley sides and mountain foothills, benefiting from the many different mesoclimates offered by the mountainous terrain and diverse terroirs. There's constant interaction between the rugged peaks and multi-directional valley slopes, and the proximity of two mighty oceans - in particular the Atlantic, chilled by the icy Benguela current which flows northwards up the west coast of Africa from Antarctica - moderates the summer warmth. Cooling moisture-laden breezes blow in from the sea during the afternoon, and seasonal fog is prevalent. Adequate sunshine plays an important role too.
Macro-, Meso- and Microclimates
Climate is described in viticulture on three levels, namely macroclimate, mesoclimate and microclimate. Macroclimate is the climate of a region. Mesoclimate differs from the macroclimate of the region due to differences in altitude, slope inclination, aspect or distance from large bodies of water; this term usually describes the climate of a particular vineyard. Microclimate is the climate immediately within and surrounding a plant canopy and can differ within a few centimetres and seconds.
The Cape Doctor
This legendary - and sometimes ferocious - southeasterly wind blows across the southwestern Cape during the spring and summer months. Living up to its name, it inhibits the development of disease in the vineyards. The southeaster has a moderating influence on temperature, lowering it by several degrees. It occasionally brings rain to the most southern vineyards in the coastal zone and more seldom carries moisture to the vineyards beyond the first range of mountains.
The effects of sea breezes
The ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij automatic weather station network has been installed in the Cape for a number of years, allowing for climatic investigation with the priority being viticultural terroir identification. In the Western Cape there is a significant contrast between the cool ocean and the warm inland temperatures as shown on the NOAA Satellites and Information image below. This results in a fequent occurrence of the sea breeze, especially during the maturation period in February (Bonnardot, 1997; 2000) when land temperatures are high (mean February temperature is 22°C at Cape Town International airport compared to 23°C past the first mountain range) and the ocean remains cool due to the cold Benguela current (below 15°C in some places).

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