Robertson is a town in South Africa’s Western Cape Province known as the Valley of Wine and Roses, located at the heart of the Route 62 wine route.
History
The town was named after Dr. William Robertson, a Scottish Dutch Reformed Church minister, who founded it in 1853:
Farming and wagon building were the town’s first industries, as it was located in the fertile Robertson Valley. However, after the Second Anglo-Boer War in 1899, the wagon building industry collapsed as railways took over all goods transportation.
Robertson later became famous for its ostrich farming, but that industry also failed shortly after World War I, and the area’s farmers turned to wine and fruit farming. Several successful racehorse stud farms were established later. Agriculture continues to be the town’s mainstay.
Tourism
The town has several Western Cape provincial heritage sites, including the Pink Church (1859), the Museum (1860), the Edwardian-style house at 12 Piet Retief Street (1904), the Victorian-style house at 59 Van Reenen Street (1914), and the Powder House (used as a store for gunpowder). Robertson has a civilian population of over 20,000 people.
What province is Robertson from?
The Western Cape
What makes Robertson famous?
Robertson is one of South Africa’s best-known wine-producing regions, known for its rich, fruit-forward red and white wines made primarily from the Chardonnay and Shiraz grape varieties, as well as sparkling wines made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
Is Robertson located in the Karoo?
Robertson Karoo is a semi-arid vegetation type found in parts of the Breede River Valley in South Africa’s Western Cape Province.
