Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 3 March 2015 | Page 9

THE VINES
History of wines
Last year, South Africa exported a staggering 525.7 million litres of wine
internationally, making her the ninth largest global wine producer, after Spain,
Italy and France. The industry continues to go from strength to strength with
more than 3000 farmers cultivating nearly 100, 000 hectares of vineyards
and approximately a quarter of a million people employed both directly and
indirectly in the sector. Whilst present day Stellenbosch and the surrounding
wine-making region of the Western Cape have retained the nostalgic charm
from the past, the romantic and idyllic lifestyle often associated with today’s
wine farming is a far cry from the struggles faced by the very first wine farmers,
over three hundred and fifty years ago.