The Swartland
The Swartland lies on the Cape West Coast of South Africa, and starts 40 kilometers north of Cape Town. It roughly consists of the regions between the towns of Malmesbury in the south, Darling in the west, Piketberg in the north, and Riebeek Kasteel in the east.
Farming is the central theme in the history of the region, which was originally inhabited by the San Bushmen, who lived in harmony with the plants and animals of the area from 150,000 years ago. Rock paintings and stone implements are the only remaining evidence of their widespread existence. They were displaced by the nomadic Khoi-khoi, who came down the west coast from Namibia around 2000 years ago, bringing with them their cattle and sheep.
Europeans arrived in the Cape in 1652, and a colony was established under Jan van Riebeek to provide food for the Dutch East India’s ships on route to and from the East. Initially the Dutch struggled for food, especially meat and cereals. Fruit and vegetables grew well in the area around Cape Town, but cereals struggled, mostly due to the strong winds. From 1655 to 1661 the settlers explored the Swartland to find the Khoi to barter for sheep in exchange for copper and tobacco. The first few trips were unsuccessful, but a trip in February 1661 lead by Piet Cruythoff succeeded in exchanging some sheep, and on the same trip he climbed the mountain he named Riebeeks Kasteel.
Thereafter the region became more explored as trade increased peacefully with the Khoi, who were happy to trade with the settlers. The trade was irregular due to the movements of the Khoi though, and settlers were given permission to move out of the Cape and settle permanently in the Swartland. These first European settlers planted vines along with the other crops they cultivated. By this time, the area had come to be known as Het Zwarte Land" (the Black Land) after the endemic Rhenoster veld which covered the landscape (in winter these plants change colour from green to black due to moisture). As the settlers moved inwards, clashes with the Khoi over land and water increased. Over time the fighting, and small pox epidemics dispersed the Khoi population to such an extent that their social structures collapsed, and they integrated into the European settlements.
Over time, farming moved towards the focused cultivation of wheat and other cereals. After the British took over the colony in 1795, they started privatizing land, which incentivised farmers to increase production, and in the 19th century improved transport (railway lines), mechanization and demand from the increasing number of ships passing the Cape further pushed up production.
Today the wide, fertile plains of the Swartland are the bread basket of South Africa, with golden wheat fields providing cereals for the nation. Surrounding these fields, as one moves towards mountains such as Kasteelberg and Paardeberg, vines, fruit and vegetables are farmed along with sheep and cattle. Being a farming community, the atmosphere of the Swartland is authentically rural. Vineyards and wheatfields roll up to the outskirts of towns, and local people share a slow paced approach to life derived from their connectedness to the land and seasons that influence it.
Though viticulture has a long history in the Swartland, it has until recently been a secondary form of agriculture to the farming of cereals and animal husbandry, but today we are in the middle of a mini-revolution where winefarming is becoming an ever more important farming activity, and the Swartland itself is increasingly recognised as a source of some of South Africa's most authentic and exciting wines.