Klein Karoo/Olifants River Region/Cape South Coast Flashcards
What are the two districts of Klein Karoo? What styles are found within the district?
—Langeberg-Garcia
—Calitzdorp (routinely produces trophy winners for fortified wine)
*the regions five wards are not contained within either district.
—With high summer temps in this eastern sweep of arid inland scrub allows for fortified and sweet wine production as the dominant focus made possible only by irrigation; some red table wines are made.
—Muscats and Douro Valley grapes such as Tinta Barocca, Touriga Nacional, and Souzão thrive.
What are the three districts of Olifants River Region?
What are the three wards without a district?
What styles are found?
Where is Olifants River Region located?
*Districts
—Lutzville Valley (northern-most)
—Citrusdal Mountain (west of Citrusdal Valley)
—Citrusdal Valley (east of Citrusdal Mountain)
- Wards w/out a district
- Bamboes Bay (NW coast line, south of Lutzville; provides much finer Sauv Blanc than expected for this latitude)
- Spruitdrift “SPUR-it-drift”
- Vredendal “FREE-den-doll”
- *Colombard and Chenin Blanc are chiefly purposed for bulk wines
- *located to the north of Swartland.
What is South Africa’s largest co-operative winery and where is it located?
Vredendal based in Olifants River Region.
- Vredendal is also a ward of Olifants River Region (without a district)
- “If we’re including total production (grapes, concentrate, juice, etc), then it would be Orange River Cellars, whom claims to also be the largest co-op in the southern hemisphere.”
Where are South Africa’s highest elevation vineyards located?
Cederberg, an unincorporated ward located to the east of the Olifants River Region.
What are the districts and wards of Cape South Coast Region?
—Elgin: western-most (formerly a ward of Overberg)
—Overberg: east of Elgin
—Walker Bay: south of Overberg
—Cape Agulhas: South/SE of Walker Bay
—Swellendam (eastern-most)
—Plettenberg Bay: over 250 miles to the east, along the southern coast of Africa.
What are the four wards of Overberg?
—Klein River
—Theewater
—Elandskloof
—Greyton
(Elgin was formerly a ward, but received district status in 2012)
What grapes are found in Overberg and Elgin?
Sauvignon Blanc, Pinot Noir, and even Riesling (renamed Weisser Riesling to distinguish the grape from Cape Riesling) are showing good results in the cooler maritime climate of both districts.
What is Riesling known as in South Africa?
Weisser Riesling (to distinguish the grape from Cape Riesling)
What grapes are found in Walker Bay district?
What producer was a pioneer in the district?
Early success with Pinot Noir and Chardonnay
- Hamilton Russell Winery, a pioneer in the district, was an early proponent of the Burgundy grapes as well as South Africa’s own Pinotage.
- Walker Bay, a whale-watchers’ delight–surrounds the coastal town of Hermanus
What are the 6 wards of Walker Bay?
Top areas of production
—Bot (“Butter”) River Valley: warmer, more inland ward within Walker Bay.
—Hemel-en-Aarde “Hemelen-arda” (“Heaven and Earth”) Valley (shale soils): Like Santa Barbara in CA, an inversion effect takes place; cold air is drawn in from the ocean as the hot air rises in the interior; which mean the valley is colder than it might be. Clay-limestone in the soil and you have a perfect recipe for Burgundian varieties.
Other four:
—Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge “Hemelen-arda” (shale soils)
—Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley (granite soils)
—Sunday’s Glen
—Stanford Foothills
**Hemel-en-Aarde wards run west to east up the valley: Hemel-en-Aarde is furthest west, followed by Upper Hemel-en-Aarde in the middle, and finally Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge is in the eastern sector of the valley. Elevation increases as you move eastward as well.
What district is the southernmost tip of South Africa? What is produced there?
Cape Agulhas
-Cool climate is provoking excitement for Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, and Shiraz.
(Vineyards are concentrated in the ward of Elim.)
What are the soils of Walker Bay?
Natural features?
—Shale, granite, sandstone
—Atlantic Ocean/Walker Bay, Bot River
What are the soils of Elgin?
Key Producers?
—Shale and sandstone
—Paul Cluver, Iona Vineyards, Oak Valley
Why is Cape South Coast a relatively new wine region?
The KMV used to prohibit planting in the Cape South Coast, so it wasn’t until the monopoly ended at the beginning of the 1990s that the whole area saw any significant plantings.
