A Dutchman, Jan van Riebeeck, pressed the first grapes grown on the Cape into wine. These grapes were brought to South Africa from vines grown using cuttings from western France.
Writing, “Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes.” Jan van Riebeeck gave us one of the few documented starts to a wine region. 365 years later, this small crop of grapes, originally grown to ward off scurvy for passing sailors, has turned into a global trade and a truly impressive wine region.
If you've shopped Nautical Wheelers wine selection, it's likely you've had a taste of the incredible artistry of South African wines. What started as mere few cuttings from France has turned into around 238,000 acres of beautiful vineyards.
2024 marks the 365th year of South African wine making, and celebration abounds! While we may not all be fortunate enough to get to travel to South Africa to celebrate on the grounds of the harvest, our friend Andy at Elephant's Corner Wines have paired with rockstar South African winemakers to bring us the best of the best of the 365th production year!
Join any of our South African tastings throughout the year to taste what 365 years of wine making has created!
Now, I've been holding out long enough. We do have one very special way to commemorate the 365th harvest. A special wine made by our incredibly talented, South African Winemaker friend, Wynand Grobler!
Jan Rap en sy Maats - White Blend
Wynand created this amazing wine specifically to commemorate not only the 365th harvest, but also the history of South African Winemaking as a whole. Jan Rap en sy Maats, translates, essentially, to any and everybody! This white blend of Muscat D'Alexandrie, Chenin Blanc, and Semilion really does allow any, and everybody to celebrate this historic occasion.
The wine's bottle is also a nod to the history of South African Wine, with an image of Jan van Riebeeck himself etched into the skyline of Table Mountain. The wine itself, and the artwork on the bottle are truly something special.
If you'd like a bottle of Jan Rap en sy Maats, time is of the essence! This wine was a very limited release so what's in stock is all that will be available, so secure your bottle(s) now!
Cheers!
*Cover photo is of our friends Andy and Wynand*
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