Karlo captures County fruit

By 1498 the Portuguese explorers had travelled around the Cape of Good Hope and established trading centres in the Indian Sub- Continent. Since they had not accomplished a foothold in the tip of Africa, the Dutch explorers seized this opportunity, founding the colony of Cape Town in 1659. The Dutch were established and preeminent traders of the time and used this new colony as a springboard to open trade in the Indian Ocean and, more importantly, to service trade in their new colonies in the Dutch East Indies.

The strategic importance of the Cape colony was immense as all ships, regardless of flag, stopped off to resupply with fresh water and food on their way to or from the East Indies.

The first governor of the colony commissioned Jan Van Riebeech to manage the station and plant vineyards to produce wine, grapes and raisins used to ward off scurvy, which was prevalent among the crews of sailing ships.

The wines of South Africa had a practical beginning but improved slowly. By the mid 1780s the sweet dessert wines produced in the vineyards of Constantia were in high demand throughout Europe. In 1795, the English replaced the Dutch occupation of the Cape in their quest to establish dominance on the high seas. At that time the Dutch were French allies and Europe was on the cusp edge of the Napoleonic wars.

Under English control, the wine industry flourished and, to the determent of the French wine market, the wines of South Africa received preferential terms in the English markets. This encouraged vineyard planting in the wine areas of Stellenbosch, Paarl, Walker Bay, and the Costal Region.

What happened next is for another day.

If you have not yet tried the 2010 Karlo Estates Riesling ($22) I suggest you do so before it is all snapped up. Wine maker Richard Karlo has sourced the grapes for this treat from County fruit grown by Lake on the Mountain.

The aromas of kumquat, poached pear, and wet stone are promising; the first sip welcomes the natural sweetness of the fruit, layered with lingering minerality, freshly squeezed lime and ripe cantaloupe, to a mouthwatering finish.

Karlo Estates is located at 561 Danforth Rd, just west of Wellington.