The Icy Benguela

December 11, 2015 Leave a comment

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I’ve been curious about the Benguela Current for a while. My original curiosity about the Benguela Current was about the name —how did it get that very cool name? It seems it all begins with Portuguese sailors in the 1500s.

In the Age of Discovery, Portuguese Sailors—known for skill and courage in ocean navigation —often sailed the long and arduous ocean journey around the continent of Africa to Asia. During such voyages, they had to fight against two mighty ocean currents: the icy Benguela current that flowed northward along the coast of Africa while they were trying to sail south; then, after they rounded the Cape of Good Hope, they sailed north while fighting the warm and southward-flowing Agulhas Current. If the journey was successful, they reached Asia and accessed the famed Indian Spice Routes. Such accomplishments helped the Portuguese form their empire, which at various times included parts of Africa, the Middle East, India, South America, and South Asia.

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The namesake of the Benguela Current (as it is now known) is a city in present-day Angola.  The area surrounding Benguela, due to its location near the coast and a well-traversed deep bay, has been a center of commercial trade since ancient times.  While there is no written record of the history of the area before the arrival of the Portuguese in 1546, it is believed that the area was formerly known as ombaka, which means, literally, “commercial (or ‘market’) port.” When the Portuguese colonized the area, a town was founded and named São Felipe de Benguela (Saint Philip of Benguela) after King Philip II of Spain and Portugal.

So back to ocean current: the icy Benguela Current flows from the Southern Ocean near Antarctica and moves north along the west coast of Africa. It reaches as far north as Angola (close to the city of Benguela, in case you missed that point) before it turns west and heads to South America. The Benguela Current is part of a large circulating ocean current known as the South Atlantic Ocean gyre. The western edge of the gyre is known as the Brazil Current; the Brazil current flows southward down the coast of Brazil, then turns east and flows across the ocean until it reaches Antarctica. From Cape Point in South Africa (at about 33°), the cold portion of the current known as the Benguela current flows northward along the west coast of Africa to the area around Angola/Benguela (about 16°S).

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            Cape Agulhas…pick your ocean!

Near Cape Point, where a portion of the cold Benguela Current of the Atlantic meets the warm south- and west-flowing Agulhas Current of the Southern Pacific Ocean, the waters become wild and turbulent. It’s a common practice while on vacation in Cape Town to journey down to Cape Point, take a short hike, get your picture taken by the sign, and stare out to sea at the “place where two oceans meet.” (Hey, I did it.) However, the truth is that the ocean currents actually intermingle for hundreds of miles in either direction—both east and west of Cape Point—and that the “point where two oceans meet” is likely to be anywhere between Cape Point and about 100 miles west at Cape Agulhas (which is actually the southernmost point on the African continent and worth a visit as well).

From the department of I thought this was a wine blog:  Good point. All I can say is that my curiosity concerning Benguela Current peaked while studying the wines of South Africa. The winelands of South Africa’s Western Cape are cooled by the moist fog and gentle breezes generated by the Benguela Current, which also generates the not-so-gentle south-easterly wind known as the “Cape Doctor.”

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Super-sharp students of wine might also have perked up with the mention of Cape Point, which is the former name of the Cape Peninsula wine district; and Cape Agulhas, a wine district located in the Cape South Coast. Cape Peninsula is a small area located on a narrow, rugged area just south of Cape Town and east of Constantia (both wine regions are easily accessed via taxi or tour bus from Cape Town). Cape Peninsula produces snappy, cool-climate white wines and is particularly adept at Sauvignon Blanc. The terroir of Cape Agulhas, about 100 miles down the coast, is also markedly maritime—distinctly cool and breezy—and known for a crisp, snappy style of Sauvignon Blanc, apricot-and-lemon laced Semillon, and a unique cool-climate style of Shiraz.

References:

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas… missjane@prodigy.net

 

 

 

 

 

Filed under Context is queen, Travels in Wine World, WineGeo

The Land of the Landes

October 27, 2015 4 Comments

Maritime Pines in the Landes Forest

Maritime Pines in the Landes Forest

All good wine students know about the Landes Forest—that region of tall pines bordering the Bay of Biscay to the south and west of the Bordeaux wine region. The Landes—now the most extensive forest in France at 5,400 square miles (14,000 square km)—helps to somewhat moderate the Atlantic Ocean’s cold, maritime influence on the vineyards of Bordeaux.

However, even the sharpest wine student might not know the history of the region, including how local sheep-herders used to wear stilts to navigate the land, and the fact that the forest is largely man-made.

The area we now know as the Landes forest was once covered by moors and marshlands.  The area, basically a swamp surrounded by shifting sand dunes, was sometimes known as the “Moor of Bordeaux.” Not surprisingly, the area was sparsely populated. Another nickname given to the region was “the Sahara of France” due to the fact that it was notoriously difficult to travel across—as many pilgrims making their way from the north down to the Camino of Saint James needed to do.

Beginning in 1801, the marshes were drained via a vast system of canals, the land was cleared, and pine tree plantations were established. This stabilized the sand dunes and created arable land suitable for farming. The local economy benefited through farming (mainly corn) as well as new opportunities in the timber, pine resin, and paper industries.

Jean Louis Gintrac - Inhabitants of the Landes (circa 1808)

Jean Louis Gintrac –
Inhabitants of the Landes (circa 1808)

The benefits of the man-made Landes Forest went beyond the area’s new industrial prowess, as it was soon discovered that the near-by wine region of Bordeaux also benefited. This is due to the area of the Landes forest closest to the Médoc that shelters the vineyard regions from the bracing cold and howling breezes that blow in from the Atlantic. Thus, the vineyards of the Médoc are now able to fully ripen the Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot that form the basis of the region’s red wines.

The Landes forest is one of the largest man-made forests in all of Europe, as well as a unique example of a man-made landscape that continues to benefit its region and the surrounding areas. The timber, pine resin, and other related industries are still active in the area, although a good portion of the region is now given over to tourism.

The area is also home to a large protected area of forests and coastlines that includes the Landes de Gascogne Regional Natural Park (Parc Naturel Régional des Landes de Gascogne). The park provides ample opportunities for hiking, cycling, and picnicking, and contains a bird sanctuary and a museum. The museum, L’Écomusée de la Grande Lande, focuses on the history as well as the architectural and cultural heritage of the region including, of course, the vineyards and wines of Bordeaux.

The Bubbly Professor is “Miss Jane” Nickles of Austin, Texas… missjane@prodigy.net

References:

Map of the Landes de Gascogne by Cabaussel, via Wikimedia Commons

Map of the Landes de Gascogne by Cabaussel, via Wikimedia Commons

Filed under Context is queen, WineGeo

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