Coastal Region/Breede River Valley Flashcards
Where is the Coastal Region located?
Around the original colony of Cape Town and along the western coast of the Cape.
What are the eight districts of the Coastal Region?
Locations?
—Swartland
—Darling (SW corner of Swartland; not fully on the coast)
—Tulbagh (SE corner of Swartland)
—Wellington (South of Tulbagh, North of Paarl)
—Paarl (South of Wellington, North of Stellenbosch and Franschoek)
—Franschhoek Valley (South of Paarl, East of Stellenbosch
—Stellenbosch (South of Paarl, West of Franschoek Valley)
—Cape Town (introduced in 2017)South of Swartland and Darling on the western coast, East of Paarl and Stellenbosch (contains Constantia, Hout Bay, Durbanville and Philadelphia (last two previously under Tygerberg district)
**Tygerberg (repealed in 2017)
What were the wards of Cape Peninsula District?
What are the wards a part of as of 2017?
—Constantia
—Hout Bay (like “out” with an h)
Now combined into the newly formed Cape Town District along with Durbanville and Philadelphia.
What are the five estates that now occupy the historic Constantia vineyard?
—Groot Constantia —Klein "little" Constantia —Buitenverwachting "boy-ten-ver-vach-ten" (“Beyond Expectations”) —Steeberg —Constantia Uitsig
Which estate revived the virtually extinct Vin de Constance?
Klein (“little”) Constance revived the virtually extinct style with new Muscat de Frontignan plantings in the 1980s.
What climatic features promotes an ideal setting for dessert wines and cool-climate white grapes (Sauvignon Blanc) in Constantia?
Cool sea breezes blow northward from False Bay, and average February temperatures hover around 70° F, promoting a lengthy growing season
What is South Africa’s most prominent winemaking district and where is it located?
Stellenbosch district “Town of Oaks”, across False Bay from the Cape Peninsula.
-has become the epicenter of viticultural and oenological research for the country, and it is a source of high quality red wines.
What are the three peaks that surround the valleys of Stellenbosch?
—Simonsberg peak
—Stellenbosch peak
—Helderberg peak
How much of South Africa’s wine is found in Stellenbosch?
Almost 1/5
What soils are found in Stellenbosch?
-Some of the world’s most ancient soils ranging from:
- majority of the soils derived from granite and sandstone
- alluvial loam over shale on the valley floors to decomposed granite and sandstone on the hillsides.
What are the two most planted varietals in Stellenbosch?
Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc
-followed by Merlot, Shriaz, and Chenin Blanc.
What is the climate of Stellenbosch?
Maritime-influenced climate comparable to—but warmer than—Bordeaux
Name two Cabernet Sauvignon based blends from Stellenbosch that have garnered praise?
Name three other highly regarded producers from the district?
—Warwick Estate’s “Trilogy”
—Meerlust’s “Rubicon,”
—Kanonkop “can-NON-cop” (a champion of Pinotage); main varieties Cab Sauv and Pinotage
—Rust en Vrede (“rust an vred-da”); estate is Cab Sauv, Shiraz, and Merlot
—Neil Ellis
Name 7 wards of Stellenbosch
Locations?
—Bottelary: NW corner
—Polkadraai Hills “POLE-ka-DRY”: SW of Bottelary
—Devon Valley: SE of Bottelary
—Papegaaiberg “PA-pa-GUY-berg”: SE of Devon Valley
—Simonsberg Stellenbosch: NE corner; (has deep, reddish clay soils that create wines so bold they usually need to be cellared for several years to subdue their massive tannins. After waiting the right amount of time (usually 7 years), the Bordeaux blends and Syrahs review flavors of smoky black currant, black cherry, tobacco and cedar. These wines are perhaps the closest analog to Bordeaux.)
—Banghoek:SE of Simon/Stell, NE of Jonkershoek; very small, hilly region, a little cooler producing juicy, creamy, Cabernet-based wines that have less tannin than Simonsberg-Stellenbosch; area should be more known for their white wines withoutstanding acidity with Chard and Chenins; easy contenders for being some of the best Chardonnay in the country.
—Jonkershoek Valley: South of Simon/Stell and SW of Banghoek; Jonkershoek Nature Reserve, home to one of only six floral kingdoms of the world has over a thousand different species, some of which don’t grow anywhere else; limited number of wine producers, due to the fragility of the region.
What district is the KWV located?
Paarl (“pearl”)
Who is Paarl’s largest producer?
Nederburg
Who was the first house to produce a botrytised dessert wine in South Africa?
Nederburg
What is the the Nederburg Wine Auction? When did it begin?
An auction of rare Cape wines, has taken place in Paarl since 1975. In its first year, the New World’s oldest annual wine auction showcased Golden Liquid Nederburg Edelkeur.
What two districts were once a part of Paarl, but are now their own district?
Franschhoek Valley and Wellington.
Where is Cap Classique production increasing in the Coastal Region?
What mountain range surrounds the region?
Tulbagh
-a smaller district located to the north of Paarl and east of Swartland.
—The district is hemmed in on three sides by the Winterhoek Mountains.
—The district’s higher altitude creates a significant diurnal temperature shift; mornings can be exceptionally cool as cold overnight air sits trapped in the amphitheater formed by the mountains
—Cap Classique production is increasing.
What “region” in South Africa use to exist solely for fortified wines? What districts did these appellations exist for?
Tug on my Welly to Pearl the Frenchie
The Boberg Region (repealed in 2019)
produced in Paarl, Franschhoek, Wellington, and Tulbagh?
What are the three districts of Breede (“Broad”) River Valley?
—Breedekloof “BREE-da-KLUF” northernmost
—Worcester-south of Breedekloof
—Robertson- east of Worcester
(A fourth district, Swellendam, shifted to the new Cape South Coast region in late 2010)
Where would you find almost half of South Africa’s Semillon?
In the district of Worcester, in Breede River Valley.
What is the largest district in South Africa in terms of production?
Worcester district (within the Breede River Valley region)
—Along with the district of Breedekloof, the two districts produce
over 25% of the national volume of wine and spirits (generally brandy) and nearly 20% of the nation’s vine acreage is located in these two districts.
