Bertrams Guide to South African Wines of Origin by Eric H. Bolsmann

Bertrams Guide to South African Wines of Origin (Signed Copy of a 1976 Cape Wine Guide)

An Illustrated Guide to the Wine of Origin Regions of the Cape, Published by Bertrams Wines

Bibliographic Specifications

• Title: Bertrams Guide to South African Wines of Origin
• Author: Eric H. Bolsmann
• Binding: Hardcover with printed, illustrated boards, the Bertrams arched design and cellar photograph reproduced on the front panel. Issued without a separate dust jacket.
• Physical Format: Illustrated hardcover, roughly A5 to small quarto in size, with colour photographs and coloured regional markers printed in the margins.
• Language: English

Official Condition Report

• The Book: Good (G)
• Exterior / Boards: The cream printed boards carry the Bertrams arched design and a cellar photograph on the front, which is marked by a vertical crease running down through the picture. The plain cream rear board has a small notch at the top edge, slight wear and chipping along the lower edge and bottom left corner, and a crumpled crease at the spine edge near the hinge. The cream spine with dark lettering is slightly scuffed and chipped at the head, with a small patch of abrasion at the tail where the author's name is partly rubbed away. Some light soiling to the covers.
• Interior: The pages photographed are clean and bright, with no foxing seen. The binding is tight. Colour illustrations and photographs are present throughout, with coloured region markers printed in the margins. A handwritten ink signature appears on the front endpaper.
• Provenance: Signed in black ink on the front endpaper by Leslie Richfield, the South African broadcaster on sport and wine. The signature is not easily legible.
• The Dust Jacket: Not Applicable (As Issued)

Synopsis & Historical Value

Bertrams Guide to South African Wines of Origin is an illustrated guide to the Cape's wine regions under the Wine of Origin system. It covers the districts, their soils, climate and cultivars, and is illustrated throughout with colour photographs and regional markers in the margins.

The book also discusses the then-new legislation governing the labelling and standards of South African wine. It was published in Cape Town by Bertrams Wines, a heritage South African wine and spirits brand founded in 1902 by Robert Fuller Bertram.

This copy carries the signature of Leslie Richfield, the South African broadcaster on sport and wine, which adds an appealing association for collectors of South African wine literature and broadcasting history.

Author Profile: Eric H. Bolsmann

Eric H. Bolsmann wrote on wine, food, art and history in South Africa. He is also described as a publisher, editor and historian, and his subjects are said to range from the old Boulevard Hotel to the life of Winston Churchill in South Africa.

Among his other titles is The South African Wine Dictionary, first published in 1984, a paperback of 154 pages.