HEMEL EN AARDE, South Africa — Heaven and Earth — that is the name in Afrikaans for this valley nestled between arid mountains and the cool ocean, a location that makes it a paradise for winegrowing.
Not for nothing are vineyards in Hemel en Aarde carving out a global reputation among wine lovers seeking a fresh, distinctive flavor.
Winemakers here do not try to imitate the big European names, which can often be a stifling benchmark.
Instead, they produce wines with a strong South African identity — wines whose savor tells the story of their distant birthplace and bring with them the heritage from the first Huguenot plantations in the 1600s.
“We are not really New Wor…
Keep on reading: South African wine ‘paradise’ finds success by going its own way