South African king of whites

South Africa has always been famed for its hearty reds. But Danie de Wet of De Wetshof Estate in Robertson is renowned as king of the whites; he puts out a range of chardonnays, rieslings and gewurztraminers that take a lot of beating.

Far from the better-known regions of Stellenbosch and Paarl, the Robertson region is in the starkly beautiful interior. It enjoys a hot, dry climate. One would imagine that this would be perfect for pinotage and cabernet sauvignon, but the winemaker and his neighbours seem to delight in confounding people by being contrary.

The Cape wine industry used to be disdainful of the Breede River Valley. 'Over the mountain,' they would sniff. It was a region where fortified wines and brandies were made, not fine table wines.

That's changed. The parched region with rich lime soils and irrigation from the Breede River was dominated by big co-operatives, but in the past 20 years there has been a surge in smaller wineries.

The classics of French bubbly, chardonnay and pinot noir, come magnificently to maturity in this hothouse climate. Today, the area is poised to produce quality champagne - and it will come at a very good price.

Johannes de Wet pioneered this dramatic change. In 1982, he sent his son, Danie, to a wine institute in Germany. He came back with revolutionary ideas. By 1984, the farm was granted 'estate' branding and had won the title of best wine of the nation for its sauvignon blanc.

Three years later, Danie astonished the world when his chardonnay won the top award at the world's biggest wine show in Bordeaux.