Geology, Climate & wine Quality

摘要

South Africa represents a small but significant producer of wine, ranking 16~(th) (1.5 percent) in terms of global vineyard acreage and 8~(th) (2.8 percent) in terms of wine production in 1 999. The industry, based around the towns of Stellenbosch and Paarl, has a long tradition dating back to 1659, when the Dutch East India Company first planted European vines. Since then there have been many highs and lows, including world-wide acclaim of the wines of Constantia in the 18~(th) century and massive overproduction in the early 1900's. Today's wine industry is recovering from the influence of egislative controls that have restricted the industry over much of the 20~(th) century and forms a significant component of the local tourist industry. The role of soils and bedrock geology has long been acknowledged as a fundamental component of termir, the French term describing the natural environment influencing the grape vine and ultimately the taste and quality of the resultant wine. This is particularly true in the "old world" wine producing countries of Europe. Possible the best documented examples are Burgundy and Bordeaux in France, however the importance of unique geological settings has spread to the "new world", for example the Coonawarra region of Australia. The geology of South Africa's winelands is a misunderstood component of the local terroir and the role of potentially unique features, such as the presence of kaolin derived from the Cape Granite Suite, have yet to be fully understood.