South African wine today. Ocean winds, wild animals and a new generation.

An ocean that makes wine possible

The Cape sits relatively close to the equator, so on paper it should be too hot for fine wine. The answer lies in the sea. On the beach at Muizenberg, half an hour from Cape Town, winemaker Duncan Savage tries to teach Peter to surf and explains why the cold Atlantic matters so much. Cool ocean air and strong winds moderate temperatures, letting grapes ripen slowly over a long season, while dramatic mountain slopes give growers a huge choice of aspects and sites.

Duncan also names the big shift he sees in South African wine: a move from a winery focus to a vineyard focus. Producers are paying attention to the subtle differences between terroirs, and regional character is finally becoming part of the conversation. Whether Peter manages to stand up on his board is something you will have to see for yourself.

Wine and wildlife at Villiera

At Villiera in Stellenbosch, former vineyards and unused land have been turned into a wildlife sanctuary. Simon explains how neighbors agreed to pool land, put up a fence and bring animals in. Today waterbuck, black wildebeest, Burchell's zebra, springbok and the blue crane, South Africa's national bird, roam just beyond the vines.

The sanctuary is not only beautiful. Birds, snakes, hawks and other predators help keep pests in check, and the estate says it has not used insecticides for close to 20 years. The Cape's Mediterranean climate, with winter rain and dry summers, also helps. Over a picnic breakfast watched by a giraffe, Peter tastes the estate's Cap Classique, South Africa's name for traditional-method sparkling wine, a reminder that the Cape offers far more than Pinotage and Chenin Blanc.

Eben Sadie and the search for a true Cape wine

In the warm, dry Swartland, Peter meets Eben Sadie, a leading light of South Africa's new wave. Eben has long worked with traditional low bush vines, but here he is trying something new: tall vines trained on poles to cope with the Cape's strong winds, planted in a square grid so tractors can change direction and avoid compacting the same soil year after year. He sees it as a way to prepare for a warming climate.

The planting itself is a statement. Next to Chenin Blanc there are Mediterranean varieties such as Vermentino, Picpoul, Marsanne, Grenache Blanc and Palomino. Eben argues that the New World built its vineyards on a handful of easy-to-sell grapes, while Europe relies on thousands. His philosophy is simple: "you must plant what belongs." He wants to make a true Cape wine, not a copy of anything.

Chenin Blanc from a very old vineyard

Back in the cellar, Peter tastes through a range of Eben's Chenin Blancs, South Africa's emblematic white grape, prized because it keeps its acidity in a warm climate. One of them comes from a Swartland vineyard planted in 1905, which Eben pursued for 14 years before finally buying it in 2020. Find out why he waited so long and what Peter makes of this new wine, called Rotsbank, meaning rock shelf.

It is a fine example of a wider trend in the Cape: old vines, once overlooked, are now treasured as part of the country's heritage and as a source of complex, long-lived wines.

Pride, people and the future

Peter's journey ends among friends and a braai. Back in Stellenbosch, there is frank talk about land ownership and how unused land could help new Black entrepreneurs get a start in farming and wine. Peter also visits The Wine Arc, a tasting room for Black-owned wine brands that do not have land or cellar doors of their own.

What stays with him most is the people, their energy and their pride, along with the remarkable food. South Africa is still a nation in flux, but in this episode wine looks like a real source of hope. Watch to see how history, nature and a new generation come together in the Cape.