You can’t help but be stunned by the visual splendor when walking around the Western Cape region of South Africa, in towns like Stellenbosch. Immediately you see why this part of the African continent is so well suited for the wine making craft, which was recently my mission for “Inside Africa.”

The mountain ranges here reach upwards of 1,500 meters, circling a valley of rolling hills packed with rich soil. Winds become funneled forces of nature, sending gusts of clay and other minerals over the landscape. This kind of weather and topography help give Western Cape grapes their unique taste — but to make really good wine people have to be smart.