The Cape Point Wine Region is a relative new wine growing area of the Western Cape Province of South Africa.

Named the ‘Cape of Storms’ by Bartolomeu Dias in 1488; the ‘Point’ was treated with respect by sailors for centuries.

By day, it was a navigational landmark and by night, and in fog, it was a menace beset by violent storms and dangerous rocks that over the centuries littered shipwrecks around the coastline.
In 1859 the first lighthouse was completed; it still stands at 238 metres above sea-level on the highest section of the peak and is now used as the centralized monitoring point for all the lighthouses on the coast of South Africa.

Access to this historical building is by an exhilarating three-minute ride in the wheelchair-accessible Flying Dutchman funicular that transfers visitors from the lower station at 127 metres above sea-level, to the upper station.

Cape Point is in the Cape of Good Hope nature reserve within Table Mountain National Park, which forms part of the Cape Floral Region, a World Heritage Site.

It includes the majestic Table Mountain chain, which stretches from Signal Hill to Cape Point, and the coastlines of the Cape Peninsula.

This narrow stretch of land, dotted with beautiful valleys, bays and beaches, contains a mix of extraordinarily diverse and unique fauna and flora. (Source: www.capepoint.co.za)

The Wines of the Cape Point Wine Region.

Cape Point forms a part of the coastline where the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic meets the warmer Agulhas Current of the Indian Ocean.

The climate of the region is distinctly maritime, and the cool breezes of the Atlantic are complemented by the warmer breezes from False Bay on the eastern side.

Vineyards are oriented north-south to make the most of the wind, which provides refreshing coolness over summer.

The wind also helps to prevent fungal diseases in the vines by creating movement in the leaf canopy.

Sea mists and cloud cover caused by the mountains also provide a cooling influence on the grapes and keep the Cape Point temperature slightly lower than that of neighboring Constantia.

This means that grapes grown in this area are able to retain acidity and freshness as they gently ripen.

The landscape of Cape Point is sufficiently weathered that the top layer of soil has been stripped away, exposing lightly colored soil of decomposed granite.

Low soil fertility and the good drainage of the sloped vineyards put the vines under stress.

A stressed vine will work harder to ensure the continuation of its species, leading to grapes with a high concentration of flavor.

Cape Point is a part of South Africa’s Cape Floral Kingdom, one of the most biodiverse areas on the planet.

While Sauvignon Blanc makes up the vast majority of wines from Cape Point, winemakers have also experimented with Chardonnay and Cabernet Sauvignon. (Source: https://www.wine-searcher.com/)