More South Africa: The Story of Delheim

In my previous blog, I wrote about the history of South Africa touching on soccer and the story of the first vines, the Dutch, the British and apartheid. Today, I'm going to focus on a particular winery with ties to Germany: Delheim.

TWO LIVES: VAN RIEBEECK AND SPATZ                      Jan van Riebeeck (1619-1677)

Vines have been growing in South Africa since the 17th century. For many, Jan van Riebeeck, a Dutch surgeon is often considered the founding father of the country's wine industry. He was in no way a viticulturist, or a winemaking pioneer, simply a doctor looking for a way to reduce the risk of scurvy for sailors on long sea journeys between Europe and Asia. By planting vines, he hoped to create a cure for the men stopping over in the nearby ports along the Western Cape. 

Like the Dutch doctor, Michael 'Spatz' Sperling was not a trained winemaker. Born and raised in what is now western Poland, Spatz fled to South Africa in 1951 at the age of 21. He was tired of the starvation years following the war and needed a change of scenery. Working on the communist state-run farms had fortunately kept him close to food and he often stole potatoes to get through the harsh winter months. 

                                                                                      
In South Africa, he went to work for his aunt and uncle. Hans Otto and Deli Hoheisen owned a 494-acre farm on Simonsberg Mountain just outside of Stellenbosch (both the mountain and city are named after Simon van der Stel, the colony's first 17th century governor). Spatz's relatives produced a variety of products including a bit of wine. The name Delheim is actually named after Spatz's aunt - 'Deli's home'.

SIMONSBERG AND A HUMBLE BEGINNING

If you were to go back in time, back to the late 17th century, you would fine a home on the southwestern slopes of Simonsberg Mountain. Inside the humble dwelling lived a Dutch East India Company servant. When ships were spotted arriving in Table Bay, the servant would fire a cannon, the third in a relay. From there, it was up to locals of Cape Town to welcome the new arrivals and offer their wares or defend their city.  

The land passed through different hands, eventually a series of parcels forming the vineyard owned by the Hoheisen family. Before Spatz arrived, his aunt and uncle had a humble and basic set-up for wine making: a basket and continuous press, hand pumps and filter.

Now, the young emrigrée Spatz knew nothing about wine but as luck would have it, he became a student of traveling German wine experts who came to South Africa to teach the locals. Eager to learn, he absorbed what he could during the 1960s and made many mistakes at Delheim. One story goes that he was trying to impress a group of German tourists with a sweet-wine he had made. One of them remarked, "Spatz er ist noch dreck!" (The wine is really shitty...).

But Spatz was determined and improved the wine, calling it Spatzendreck. The name has a double meaning. Sperling is sparrow in German and Spatz is the diminutive. So it means both Spatz's 'shit' or 'Little Sparrow's Shit'. (Fondly enough, in 1979 Decanter awarded Sperling the 'worst label of the year' for the winery's label of a bird defecating into a wine barrel.)

DELHEIM - THE ROAD TO QUALITY AND TOURISM

In 1959, Spatz entered Delheim's wines into the South African Wine Show in nearby Paar, winning a trophy for his Palomino in the best Dry White Table Wine category.

During the 1970s fellow wine producers, Franz Malan of Simonsig Estate, Niel Joubert of Spier winery and Spatz came together to work on promoting wine tourism in South Africa. Malan had been to Europe and returned impressed by the wine routes he had seen in France. With little support from  both KWV and local road engineers, the three handed out maps showing tourists how to get to the participating wineries. First came the students from Stellenbosch University followed by their parents.

Eventually, the Stellenbosch wine route took off (today it is sponsored by American Express) and in 1976 Spatz with the help of his Dutch-born wife, Vera, opened up the Vintner's Cheese Lunch Restaurant to cater to the arriving tourists. Serving home-made food to compliment their wines, the establishment became popular and complimented the available wine and cellar tours.

DELHEIM TODAY

Delheim is still operating today with Spatz as vintner and his son, Victor as viticulturist and general farm manager.

For soccer and wine fans, Delheim is featuring a venue to view the World Cup soccer matches.

In the LCBO, look out for Delheim 2006 Simonsberg Cabernet Sauvignon (on sale $13.40 in the Vintages section). A bouquet of red currant and green pepper; equally seductive on the palate with a smoky kiss of dark fruit. 

BIBLIOGRAPHY 

Robinson, Jancis, The Oxford Companion to Wine. Oxford Univ. Press, Oxford, 2003.

Taber, George M. In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism. Scribner, New York, 2009. 

www.delheim.com 

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Soccer, Wine and South Africa

Today marks the beginning of FIFA World Cup 2010. In Johannesburg, the competition opened between the host country South Africa and Mexico. It was an exciting match with Mexico favoured to win but the South African footballers had their game together and scored early in the second half. Shortly after Blanco came on the field, Rafael Marquez tied it up for Mexico and the final score sat at 1-1. 

I watched the game at my father's place this morning and though I'm not the biggest soccer fan in the world I had the chills when Siphiwe Tshabalala scored the first goal of the game and the crowd in Johannesberg howled with excitement. It wasn't quite noon but I sipped some wine and smiled for the boys, for the country of yellow and green.

WINE AND SOCCER

I also realized today how complex and beautiful soccer can be. When I was young, I enjoyed hockey and football but the arts became my favoured past time. I hardly watch North American sports but I found myself captivated by today's game. 

Soccer is a continuous game. The pauses are brief, the action is on-going. True, there are some slow points , a few dull turn-arounds, but like any good novel or film, the gradual shift in tempo from the moderate to the fast can be exhilarating. The best plays come off orchestrated, dramatic and timely as if they were composed in the balance of passes, headers and honed strikes. 

Like a good wine, soccer is about finesse and finish and today's game satisfied me in a way wine typically does. The two are linked in their ability to banish care and unite the world. 

SOUTH AFRICA: HISTORY INSPIRED BY WINE

This is the first time South Africa has ever held the World Cup. The euphoria there must be intoxicating. The rich and the poor, the black and white, once segregated by apartheid are all celebrating today's game. In the world of soccer, the fans are united by their team and nation. 

It amazes me the link between the sport and the seductive beverage of civilization. Wine first came to the country in the wake of Dutch exploration. Jan van Riebeeck, the first governor of the Cape colony planted the first vines using varieties sourced from France, Germany and Spain. It was Riebeeck's belief that the crews of Portuguese and Spanish vessels had less incidence of scurvy because of wine consumption. After a failed first effort, the governor reported success on February 2, 1659 in a famous diary entry: "Today, praise be to God, wine was made for the first time from Cape grapes."

In 1657 Riebeeck decided that employees of the Dutch East India Company should be freed of their duties and given land in order to get more agricultural output out of the newly discovered land. This decision was ultimately shadowed by the institution of slavery. Dutch ships carried enslaved men, women and children from the coastal areas of eastern African and Mozambique to the colony.

Simon van der Stel replaced van Riebeeck as governor in 1679 and established South Africa's second city, Stellenbosch (named after himself - 'the forest of Stel'). In the 1680s, French Protestants known as Huguenots fled their homeland, escaping religious persecution. Many came from Provence and brought their winemaking skills to a new settlement further inland aptly named Franschhoek (Dutch for 'French Corner'). By the end of the century, with the help of the new settlers, Van der Stel developed Constania, the first major winery just south of Cape Town. 

KWV, APARTHEID AND WINE

The British took over South Africa in 1795 but slavery didn't end until 1834. The troubles between races continued but on the bright side the British were able to open trade for the country.  Vines increased from 13 million to 55 million with 4.5 million liters produced annually. Vin de Constance, a sweet white wine made from Muscast de Frontignan grapes became the prized drink of Jane Austen, Frederich the Great and Napoleon who requested a bottle on his death bed.

There were other troubles fermenting. The climate of South Africa proved to be too ideal for grape growing and overproduction lead many growers and winemakers to bankruptcy. To save the industry, the KWV (Ko-operatiewe Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Africa Beperkt) formed to restrict and regulate the type and quantity of grapes grown and set prices.

The KWV has often been compared to the centralized control of Soviet Russia (it was nicknamed the KGB). Quantity became more important than quality and growers planted and harvest high-yielding varieties.

In 1948, the tension between races came to a head and strict rules of racial separation were put in place. Civil Rights were revoked and everyone was put into racial categories - whites, black, mulattoes, Asian and Indians. Afrikaners, descendents of the first Dutch settlers, the men and women who first planted the vines and kept domestic and farm slaves were the criminals behind apartheid policy.

Wine amongst other South African products were boycotted around the world. Riled apartheid protesters smashed shop windows in Amsterdam where South African wines were sold.

MANDELA, SOCCER AND MORE WINE

Nelson Mandela couldn't be at today's game due to the tragic death of his great-grandaughter in a car accident, said to be caused by a drunk driver. For many football fans he was there in spirit, many of whom are crediting him for bringing the World Cup to South Africa.

In 1995, it was Mandela who helped ease race relations in the rugby World Cup. Black and white cheered on the Springboks and today, the racial divide was once again blurred following Tshabalala's goal. 

South African wine is no longer boycotted and enjoys a place at many tables around the world. Recently, Shiraz became the latest showstopping varietal.

Today I'm going to recommend South African wine. Pick up any bottle you like. History is taking place in South Africa and why not take the spirit of the country in by lifting a glass. Wine, like soccer is for everyone (well... maybe not youngsters... they'll have to wait) but drink responsibly.  

BIBLIOGRAPHY
http://www.guardian.co.uk/world/2010/jun/11/nelson-mandela-grandaughter-drunk-driver

http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/world/africa/10297799.stm

Taber, George M. In Search of Bacchus: Wanderings in the Wonderful World of Wine Tourism. Scribner, New York, 2009.

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