The semi-presidential Republic of Namibia in south-west Africa with the capital Windhoek covers 824,292 km². Clockwise, it borders Angola, Zambia, Botswana, South Africa and the Atlantic Ocean. From 1884 until the end of the First World War, Namibia was a German colony called German South West Africa. In 1920, the League of Nations placed the territory under the mandate administration of South Africa. Namibia only gained independence in 1990 after a liberation struggle.
Viticulture
In 2021, the vineyards covered 8,417 hectares, which are used almost exclusively for the cultivation of table grapes with the specially bred varieties Arra, Autumn Crisp, Early Sweet and Ruby Rush. Although some viticulture is practised, it is naturally limited by the hot and dry climate. Most of Namibia lies in the tropical summer rainfall area with irregular, often very heavy rainfall between November and April. During the period of colonisation, missionaries planted vines and made wine.
There are three wineries that deserve the name "winery". The "Kristall Kellerei" was founded in 1990, when Namibia became independent, by the German Kluge family as the first winery. The winery is located in Omaruru, north-west of the capital Windhoek. Colombard and Ruby Cabernet are cultivated on a few hectares, the first harvest was in 1995.
In 1996, manager Allan Walkden-Davis set up a small vineyard on his large farm "Neuras" at the foot of the Naukluft Mountains on the edge of the Namib Desert in the south of the country and produced the "Namib-Red" from one hectare of Shiraz (Syrah) and some Merlot. This wine even caused an international sensation. The third business is the "Thonninghii" wine farm in the Otavi Valley in the north of the country, in what is known as Namibia's "maize triangle", the area with the lowest yields. It is run by the full-time doctor Bertus Boshoff, whose son studied oenology and practised in South Africa. On half a hectare, they experiment with different varieties such as Viognier, Cabernet Sauvignon and Syrah.
Map: © Goruma
Flag: by Vzb83~commonswiki, Public domain, Link
Coat of arms: Public domain, Link
