South Africa Flashcards
South Africa General
The history of the vine in South Africa can be traced to 1652, when Jan van Riebeeck of the Dutch East India Company founded Cape Town and established its first vineyard.
Mostly white wine, mostly Chenin Blanc.
Other: Chardonnay Sauvignon Blanc Muscat of Alexandria (Hanepoot) Colombard, Muscadel (Muscat Blanc à Petits Grains) Viognier Semillon
Pinotage Cabernet Sauvignon Merlot Cabernet Franc Shiraz Pinot Noir
Traditional method sparkling wines known as Méthode Cap Classique (MCC) are increasingly produced from Chardonnay and Pinot Noir, and fortified styles include Cape Port and Sherry—terms that were phased out in 2012. Cape Port today is generally named according to its style: Cape Tawny, Cape Ruby, and so forth.
Pinotage
A crossing of Cinsaut and Pinot Noir developed by Professor Abraham Perold in 1924, has been refered to by some as South Africa’s signature red grape.
KWV
Ko-operatieve Wijnbouwers Vereniging van Zuid-Afrika (KWV) formed in 1918 with the support of 90% of South Africa’s growers.
The KWV, a cooperative of wine producers and growers:
fixed minimum prices
determined areas of production,
established production limits—powers formalized in the 1924 Wine and Spirits Control Act.
It pulled the industry back from the brink of disaster but favored large producers and rewarded lower quality, as it set viable prices even for distillation wine. Surpluses, essentially subsidized by the KWV, continued through the 1980s, and despite a shift in domestic drinking habits from fortified wines to table wines in the mid-20th century, South Africa’s wine industry did not encourage high quality.
After the end of Apartheid (1994), KWV encouraged producers to focus on quality.
In 1999, the South African Wine Industry Trust (SAWIT) was established to speed transformation of South African wine and to empower black workers in an industry that had long relied on slave- and apartheid-era labor practices
In 2002, the South African Wine and Spirit Board began to offer quality certification through SAWIS (South African Wine Industry Information and Systems) in accordance with the Wine of Origin (WO) scheme, South Africa’s appellation system.
Wine of Origin System (WO)
Established in 1973
Producers submit a sample to a testing panel to:
- confirm the cultivar and age
- undergoes a scientific analysis
90 cultivars are authorized
Wine must contain 85% of the stated grape
Blends may list several grapes, if vinification occurred separately and each listed grape comprises a minimum 20% of the wine.
A minimum 85% of the stated vintage is also required.
If an area of production appears on the label, 100% of grapes must come from the stated area.
4 Type of production areas:
- Geographical Unit
- Region
- District
- Ward
Single vineyard may be listed on a label if the wine is sourced solely from a vineyard that is appropriately registered and of less than six hectares.
Estate wines must be produced from contiguous parcels of vineyard land and vinified and bottled on a single property.
A WO seal appears on all bottles of South African wine that pass certification.
While it is an entirely voluntary process, none of the above claims—vintage, varietal, or area of production—may legally appear on any bottle that forgoes certification.
Geographical Units
6
Western Cape Northern Cape Eastern Cape Kwazulu-Natal Limpopo Free State
Western Cape
Most of the wine production is here.
Most WO areas are contained within it, including the Coastal Region, Cape South Coast, Breede River Valley, Klein Karoo, and Olifants River.
Mediterranean climate
Cape Aghulas
offers the coolest climate in the country, whereas the Northern Cape production areas along the Orange River experience a hot, arid climate and are generally only suitable for bulk wines.
Benguela Current
The Benguela Current is a cold, wide current that flows northwards along the west coast of southern Africa.
flows north from Antarctica to cool the coastal areas.
The Cape Doctor
A notoriously strong southeasterly wind, blows across the Western Cape throughout the spring and summer, inhibiting fungal disease and moderating temperature—but also ferociously battering the vines.
Steen?
Chenin Blanc in South Africa
Coastal Region
Around Cape Town, quality wines.
9 Districts Stellenbosch Cape Town Paarl Tulbagh Darling Franschhoek Valley Lutzville Valley Wellington Swartland
Cape Town
Cape Town was introduced in 2017 and contains the wards of Constantia, Hout Bay, Durbanville, and Philadelphia; the latter two were previously included under the now-repealed Tygerberg district.
Constantia
Five estates occupy the historic Constantia vineyard on the eastern, decomposed granite slopes of Constantiaberg, including the state-owned Groot Constantia, Klein Constantia, and Buitenverwachting.
Despite the fabled glory of Vin de Constance, several of the new proprietors are focusing on international grapes and dry wines. However, Klein (meaning “little”) Constance revived the virtually extinct style with new Muscat de Frontignan plantings in the 1980s.
Cool sea breezes blow northward from False Bay, promoting a lengthy growing season ideal for dessert wines and cool-climate white grapes like Sauvignon Blanc.
Stellenbosch District
Most prominent wine region in South Africa
Most ancient soils and very old vines
Soil
ranging from alluvial loam over shale on the valley floors to decomposed granite and sandstone on the hillsides
Grapes
Cabernet Sauvignon and Sauvignon Blanc are the district’s two most planted varieties, followed by Merlot, Shiraz, and Chenin Blanc.
Maritime influence (Bordeaux Blends)
Paarl
home to the KWV, a founding partner in SAWIT
Nederburg Wine Auction
With over 40 bottlings in its range, Nederburg is the district’s largest producer and the first house to produce a botrytised dessert wine in South Africa. The renowned Nederburg Wine Auction, 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.
Breede River Valley Region
Three districts:
Robertson, Worcester, and Breedekloof
Breedekloof and Worcester, the largest district in South Africa in terms of production, 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.
Approximately one half of South Africa’s Semillon is located in Worcester, and there are sizable plantings of Colombard, Chenin Blanc, and Ruby Cabernet. Robertson is a higher quality area, known equally for its MCC and red wine production. Shiraz is emerging as one of the district’s finest varietal wines.
