SOUTH AFRICA

The Cape's Mediterranean climate

and mountainous terrain provide excellent grape growing conditions. Rain falls mostly in winter, and dry summers allow grapes to mature evenly, developing a full, ripe flavor. The main wine growing region in South Africa is the Cape of Good Hope, at the southern tip of the continent.

South African white wines, particularly Chardonnay and Chenin Blanc, account for 85 per cent of the country's vines. They are renowned for their light, crisp quality.

There are also popular South African reds, including Shiraz, and Pinotage, a cross between Pinot Noir and Cinsault grapes from southern Rhone. The Pinotage grape is grown exclusively in South Africa, and many consider it to be the country's "national grape."

In recent years, the Constantia grape -- responsible for the famous South African dessert wine prized by royalty in the 18th century, requested by Napoleon, and praised in the novels of Dickens and Jane Austen -- has been reintroduced in recent years to South Africa's Constantia region, the birthplace of its wine industry.