Week 2 of Learning With EWGA Wines! This week we invite you to learn about the new world wines of South Africa. Not many people realise that the first vineyards in South Africa were planted as early as the 17th century in Cape by the Dutch East India Company as part of their mission to provide fresh produce to the company’s merchant fleet on their voyages to India and surrounding areas, but more on that in the course. 

The course was put together by WOSA (Wine of South Africa) and provides six informative modules covering a variety of topics related to the South African wine industry, from history, varieties, wine styles and winegrowing areas to sustainable production and tourism, each followed by a quiz.

To take advantage of this free course and receive a certificate after successful completion of the course follow this link: 

https://www.wosa.co.za/applications/wine-course/loginregister.aspx

Whether you’re just getting started with wine or work in the industry this course will give you everything you need to know about South African wine. The slides that make up the course are very well put together and supporting articles are vastly informative.

We really recommend you watch this video about the Bergsig Estate winery,  featuring 7th generation winemaker, De Wet Lategan talking about the South African ecosystem. The video presents the vineyard in a great way and shows you the true beauty of this region.

Finally, we have put together a case of wine to showcase South African wines’ superb value and great quality. The red wine in this selection is, of course, a Pinotage, famous for its roots in South Africa. You also get an excellent Gewurztraminer from the aforementioned Bergsig Estate. And, a Sauvignon Blanc which supports the fight against Rhino poaching.

See you next week for another instalment of Learning with EWGA Wines.