Forget about white, palm-lined beaches. St Helena is a land of dramatic landscapes.
Plenty has been written about beautiful St Helena Island, a destination whose remoteness has retained its olde world charm and spectacular natural beauty. Less so about its wine, and perhaps for good reason. Just over 21 000 litres of South African wine, which dominates the market, went to the tiny location in the South Atlantic in 2024.
St Helena Island covers 122km² – about half the size of Bloemfontein.
Red and white wines were supplied in almost equal amounts, but, considering the UK’s overseas territory’s famous link with Groot Constantia, it is perhaps unsurprising that almost half of the total volume is sweet and fortified.
St Helena was home to Napoleon for the final six years of his life in exile, and here he was introduced to the Cape’s Grand Constance. While Groot Constantia’s wines are available on the island, it’s mostly brands like Sedgwick’s Old Brown Sherry lining the retail shelves.
The reasons for this situation are many, not least of which is its location 1 950km from its nearest neighbour, northern Namibia. It also has a population of just 4 000 people.
Despite its fantastic tourism offerings such as dramatic landscapes for some of the best hiking, outstanding fishing and a unique and fascinating history, physical distance has been its biggest challenge to everything from communications and logistics to travel and medical services.
The building of its airport and start of services in 2017 solved many problems, but for some, hasn’t delivered as hoped. The landing of an undersea fibre optic cable in 2021 may yet change all of that.
The trickle of local wine sales is boosted by contract workers, expats, yachties on ocean crossings and cruise liners.
A handful of importers on the island bring in wine, despite the stiff premium destined as tax.
St Helena Island’s stores are lined with South African wine, spirit and beer brands.
“We don’t make a lot of money on our wine,” says Tara Wortley, director of Rose and Crown Limited, a retailer, importer and wine festival organiser on the island. “The duty on every bottle is £5.50 (R132.79). We sell Boekenhoutskloof’s The Wolftrap, for example, at £11.50 (R277.70) per bottle.”
Interest, however, is great, considering the popularity of Rose and Crown’s annual wine festival at in November that has been held since 2013. It’s the island’s largest of its kind. The company only makes 200 tickets available, and it’s a grand, dress-up affair.
Rose and Crown is a third-generation family business with among their other interests, eight variety outlets located in Jamestown, Ladder Hill, Longwood and at St Helena Airport.
Among the brands it stocks are Delheim, Springfield, and Vondeling.
Others on retail shelves include Dunstone, Beyerskloof, Robertson Winery, Four Cousins, Durbanville Hills, Protea by Anthonij Rupert Wyne, Nederburg, Drostdy Hof, and KWV. Also there, were brandies including Richelieu, Wellington VO and KWV, with a fairly standard price for a three-year-old at around R650 per bottle.
For those prices, there will be no surprise that some winemaking has been attempted alongside distillation on the island. Paul Hickling, the late founder and owner of the St Helena Distillery, made wine from juice brought in from South Africa. Derek Richards, owner of Richards Travel Lodge with wife, Linda, does the same, though for private consumption and using a kit he imported from the US.
St Helena Island may be a small and tricky market for wine exporters, but one thing’s for sure: it will always be welcome.
Photos: All photos were taken by Clifford Roberts.