 One of the challenges of viticulture in Namibia is that the country is quite dry, which means that irrigation is usually necessary.Unlike its southern neighbour, South Africa, it is also situated closer to the equator than the traditional (but now challenged) "30 to 50 degrees latitude" rule of thumb of areas suitable for wine production.The history of Namibian wine production began with the colonisation of Namibia by Germany in 1884.