WSD Semester Abroad: French Grapes, South African Wines

While fairly young on the world scene, South Africa has a long history with wine. Vitis vinifera was first planted in South Africa by the Dutchman Jan van Riebeeck in 1655. And in 1659 he produced the first bottle. Today exports are reaching upwards of 388 million litres, and more than 2 613 farmers cultivate some 90 512 hectares of land under vines.One cannot talk about visiting South African wine regions without talking about the grapes themselves. While there isn’t enough time in this season to speak on each grape grown in South Africa, I did want to highlight a couple from some tastings that I participated in during my time there. You’ll hear from an American, that had a chance meeting on a train in France that led her to making wine in South Africa, and Ina Smith, Manager of the Chenin Blanc Association.CREDITS:Thank you for listening to Wine School Dropout. This podcast was produced by Studio Ochenta.Hosted by Tanisha Townsend.Our executive producer is Lory Martinez.Edited by our sound designer is Luis Lopez.Our Producrion Manager is Catalina Hoyos.Our theme was done by Gabriel Dalmasso.Music is by Makaih beats.Our logo is by Tiffanie Delune.Follow us @wineschooldropout on IG. If you like the show, tell a friend about it and leave us a review wherever you get your podcasts. Until next time, sit back, relax and have a glass.Support this show http://supporter.acast.com/wine-school-dropout. Hosted on Acast. See acast.com/privacy for more information.