5 events that shaped the wine-making industry of South Africa.
South African Wine : A Timeline 5 events that shaped the South African wine industry
1652 : In the 1600’s the spice trade flourished and Europeans sailed across Africa to the East to find the most exotic of spices. The journey was long and hard so the Dutch decided to create something like a halfway stop that would allow sailors to stock up on food and wine. Today this stop is known as Cape Town.
1685 : Constantia was used to produce wine, fruit, vegetables and cattle for the sailors on their journey to the East. Huge vineyards were planted and today it is known for its production of high-qualityred wines like Shiraz & Merlot.
1689 : The wine industry in South Africa was greatly influenced by the French Huguenots, many of whom had vineyards in France before arriving in South Africa. These settlers were allocated farms in Franschhoek, Afrikaans for 'French corner'.
1859 : In the late 1700's wines from Constantia earned a great reputation across Europe. The area soon fell under British rule and large quantities of wine were exported to Britain. This was great for the industry, but in 1860 a free trade agreement was signed between France and Britain that lead to an increase in exports from France and limited exports from South Africa.
1994 : For much of the 20th century, the wine industry of South Africa received very little attention on the worldwide stage. It wasn't until the early 1990's when Apartheid ended and the world's export market opened up that South African wines began to experience a renaissance.
The project is used as part of the Wine literature for the Athens based African-inspired restaurant Kozi's. You can also see it applied on the Kozi's Website. The script used is a custom font I made from the owners unique handwriting.