SA General.Unincorporated Flashcards
Who planted the first vines in South Africa, and when?
Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company in 1655, when he founded Cape Town.
What is the KWV?
The Ko-operative Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika, a co-op of wine growers and producers formed in 1918 to fix minimum prices, determine winegrowing areas, and establish production limits.
What is the biggest long-standing problem for the South African wine industry?
Overproduction and surplus
What is SAWIT?
The South African Wine industry Trust, established in 1999 to empower black workers.
What is SAWIS?
South African Wine Information and Systems; in 2002, the South Afrian Wine and Spirit board began to offer quality certifications through SAWIS in accordance with the WO system.
When was the Wine and Spirits Control Act passed? What did it do?
1924 - it formalized the powers of the KWV.
When was the Wine of Origin (WO) system introduced? What does it require?
1973
Producers must submit samples to prove that the wine shows the correct organoleptic qualities for its cultivar and age. The cultivar must be on the authorized list (a general list for all of SA, irrespective of region).
%’s for labeling
Vintage: not specified
Varietal: 85% for a single varietal; if multiple varietals are listed, each must comprise 20% of the blend, and they cannot be co-fermented.
Area: 100%
Is the WO certification mandatory?
No, it’s voluntary, but without it, you cannot list cultivar, region, vineyard, estate bottled, etc.
What are the four types of production area, in descending size?
Geographical Unit, Region, District, Ward
What are the requirements for Single Vineyard Wine?
100% must come from the vineyard, and the vineyard itself must be less than 6ha in size.
What is required for Estate wine?
All estate fruit from contiguous parcels of land, vinified and bottled on a single property.
What is IPW, and what are the guidelines?
The Integrated Production of Wine Scheme, launched in 1998, a voluntary means of certifying sustainable environmental standards.
Guidelines are set for agricultural, manufacturing, and packaging practices. Some major point include:
worker safety measures
handling of wastewater
carbon emissions
use of pesticides and other chemicals
vineyard biodyversity
What is required to gain the “sustainable wine of origin seal”? How popular is it?
Wines must score a minimum of 60% on IPW evaluation, and qualify for WO status.
As of 2011, 85% of WO wine carried the new seal; it is expected that in the future virtually all WO wines will be qualified.
What are the geographical units of South Africa?
Western Cape Northern Cape Eastern Cape Kwazulu-Natal Limpopo
What are the districts of the Northern Cape? Do they contain any wards?
Douglas
Sutherland-Karoo
NO
What are the independent wards of the Northern Cape?
Hartswater
Central Orange River
Rietrivier
What is the single smaller region in the Eastern Cape? Is it a district or a ward?
A ward: St. Francis Bay
What are the six regions of the Western Cape?
Coastal Region Cape South Coast Breede River Valley Klein Karoo Olifants River Boberg
The Western Cape lies at what latitude?
27-34º
What is the climate of the Western Cape?
Mediterranean
What is the current that cools the Western Cape?
The Benguela Current
What is the Cape Doctor?
A strong southeasterly wind, which inhibits fungal disease and moderates temperature.
In general terms, assess the geology of South Africa
Quite possibly the oldest viticultural soils in the world, folded and uplifted by tectonic movement dating back 500-1000 million years.
Sandstone mountain ranges with granitic foothills, shale hills surrounding.
Some plutons - intrusions of igneous magma, resulting in crystalline, granitoid hills, sometimes with sandstone above.
What is the local synonym for Chenin Blanc?
Steen
What is Cape Riesling?
A synonym for Crouchen Blanc, unrelated to Riesling
What is the local synonym for Muscat of Alexandria?
Hanepoort
What is the parentage of Pinotage?
Pinot Noir x Cinsault
Who created Pinotage?
Abraham Perold in 1925
What is Cap Classique?
A traditional method sparkling wine, often made from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir
What are the major white grapes of South Africa?
Steen, Chardonnay, Sauvignon Blanc, Colombard, Gewurztraminer, Hanepoort, Cape Riesling
What are the major red grapes of South Africa?
Pinotage, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Shiraz, Pinot Noir, Tinta Barroca, Pontac (Teinturier)
What is the sole district of the Western Cape outside of a Region?
Ceres Plateau (east of Tulbagh), includes a ward called Ceres
What are the four unincorporated wards of the Western Cape?
Cederberg (east of Piekenierskloof)
Lamberts Bay (south of Bamboes Bay)
Prince Albert Valley (northeast of Klein Karoo)
Swartberg (northeast of Klein Karoo).
How are fortified sytles named as of 2012?
Cape Port, Cape Tawny, Cape Ruby, etc.
What is jerepigo?
Mistelle; may be red or white
What are soetes?
“Stickies” - refers to sweet wines.
Sugar levels for Still Wines
Extra Dry: max 2.5g/L
Dry: max 5 g/L (up to 9g/L if TA is within 2g/L of RS)
Semi-dry: 5-12g/L (up to 18g/L if TA is within 2g/L of RS)
Semi-sweet: 5-30g/L
Late Harvest: min 20g/L
Special Late Harvest: “lighter” style, usually over 20g/L, if under must be labeled dry/semi-dry/etc.
Natural Sweet: min 20g/L
Noble Late Harvest: min 50g/L, botrytized
