South African Wine - A Celebration

'South African Wine - A Celebration' is just that - a glorious celebration of grapes, the wines they make and the rituals that surround them. The miracle of wine is that it deserves close scrutiny, and the more you know about it, the more you'll find to love.

This heady liquor has captivated the spirit of humankind for some 7,000 years or more, and it all starts with a grape on a vine. But it is not just the grape we celebrate every time we open a bottle of wine. The liquid is influenced by so many things: millennia of rock formation resulting in different soil types; changes in the earth's climate; the cultivation and crossing of vine stock and the development of clones that add yet more flavours to the mix.

Then the viticulturists and winemakers step in, deciding how to prune, when to pick, how long to leave on the skins, what type of oak barrel to use, what to blend, how much to fine, filtrate . . . And when we come along, our decisions as to how long to keep the wine, how to store it and what to drink it with - and in what to drink it - all affect that mysterious living liquid we call wine.

This is the miracle that its worth celebrating - in this book and in our lives, every day. In South Africa we have it all: mountains and vineyards; historic manor houses and modern cellars; and a culture of wine rooted in tradition and exploring an exciting future.