South Africa Flashcards
History
Modern industry from 1994 when African National Congress won the first democratic election
Before 90’s - KWV Cooperative, high yield for brandy
Climate
33-35 latitude (CA and Israel in north hem.)
Warm Mediterranean
moderating factors: mountains, Benguela current up western coast, Cape Doctor
Benguela Current
flows north up western coast, mingles with Agulhas current and cools Cape Town to Cape Agulhas
Creates coastal fog and breezes
Cape Doctor
South-easterly wind during spring and summer, lowers disease pressure and brings rain
Can damage leaves and disrupt flowering/fruit set
Climate risks
Spring frost (particularly Breedekloof)
Lack of winter freeze
700mm in Stellenbosch, less in north of Western Cape
Drier areas use drip irrigation, some places dry farm
Pinotage
Bred at University of Stellenbosch in 1925
Pinot Noir x Cinsault
Early budding, moderately susceptible to fungal disease
High sugar level in small berries, high alcohol with deep colour
Soils
- Table Mountain Sandstone: sandy with low nutrient/water retention
-Granite: foothills and hills, good water retention
-Shale: good nutrient levels and water-retention
Disease
Plantings with viral diseases like leafroll and fanleaf was a problem, so testing essential
Powdery mildew also common
Vine Training
Cordon with VSP, fruiting wire at 2.4m for easy pruning
Short spur pruning for mechanisation, but often handpicked bc of labour costs
Yields
Big difference between large volume and dry farmed old vines
IPW
Integrated Production of Wine
1998 - carbon emissions, staff training, conservation of soil & rivers & wetlands
90% of export producers adhere to it
High volume vs low volume Chenin
See chart in book
Chenin Blanc
Medium to pronounced intensity, ripe yellow apple/peach, tropical fruit, high acidity, medium alcohol and body
Often vanilla and toast from oak
Pinotage
traditional fuller bodied, tannic style: deep ruby, red plum and blackberry, high tannin, full body, high alcohol
OR
lighter, elegant style: medium ruby, red fruit, medium tannin
“Big Six” Varieties
Chenin Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc
Chardonnay
Cabernet Sauvignon
Shiraz
Pinotage
White Cape Blends
Chenin-dominant, with white Rhone grapes, Chardonnay, Semillon, Sauvignon Blanc
Red Bordeaux Blends
red Bordeaux grapes
Red Cape Blends
Blends with high proportion of Pinotage or black Rhone grapes
Geographical Unit
Very large areas (Western Cape)
Region
Large areas named about major feature (Coastal Region of Breede River Valley)
District
Smaller area (Stellenbosch or Walker Bay)
Ward
Defined area within a district (Simonsberg-Stellenbosch)
Estate Wines
Must be grown, made, and bottled on the estate
Single Vineyard Wines
Regulations on single vineyard wines if it is named on the label
Registered, planted with single variety, under 6ha
Coastal Region
On the western coast, 45% of all area under fine, but only 25% of volume
Districts: Cape Town, Darling, Franschhoek Valley, Paarl, Stellenbosch, Swartland
Cape Town
District of Coastal Region
4 wards: Constantia & Durbanville
Formerly Cape Peninsula
Constantia
Ward of Cape Town
Vin de Constance
Vineyards on east-facing Constantiaberg
False Bay 10km away
1000mm rainfall
Sandstone with good drainage
SB, Chard, CS, Shiraz
Durbanville
Ward, nothern suburbs of Cape Town
On shale hills of Tygerberg hills, east facing vineyards
dry, but soils with high water retention
Warm, but cooling breezes from False Bay and evening mists
Sauvignon Blanc with greener style
Stellenbosch
District of Coastal Region
Cool mountain slopes, False Bay freezes, varied soil types, different slopes,
600-900mm and warm climate
Premium Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Chenin
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
Ward of Stellenbosch
on lower slopes of sw side of the Simonsberg
Warmer but still get ocean breezes, high diurnal rainge
Cab & Cab blends, Pinotage
Paarl
District of Coastal Region
many mesoclimates
800-900mm rain
Berg River
Riper, fuller bodied than Stellenbosch
Chenin, CS, Shiraz, Pinotage, Viognier, Mourvedre
Ward: Voor Paardeberg, top quality
Simonsberg-Paarl
Ward of Paarl, on the warmer side of the Simonsberg, at a higher elevation than the rest of Paarl
Higher diurnal range, longer & cooler growing season
Chard, Shiraz, Red Blends with more freshness and intensity
Franschhoek Valley
District of Coastal Region
Southeast of Paarl
3 sides surrounded by mountains which shelter & warm
sites on valley floor and up to 600m
800mm rain, but fast draining soils
SB, CS, Shiraz, some old vine Semillon
Fresher wines, used as blending component
Darling
District of Coastal Region
Range of hills parallel to West Coast
Groenekloof ward
Ocean breezes
SB and fresh CS, Merlot, Shiraz
weathered granite soils, water retaining (bush vines & dry farming common)
Swartland
District of Coastal Region
Warm, dry climate, 500mm rainfall mostly in growing season
Irrigation for yields, or old vines
Low fertility granite and shale
Older businesses/coops make good to very good, inexpensive to mid priced (Perdeberg or Riebeek Cellars)
Also premium small-production since 2000, started by Charles Back of Spice Route winery: dry farming, organic/biodynamic, low yield, ambiest yeast, etc
Western Cape white and red blends from “big six”, RHone varieties
Tulbagh
District of Coastal Region
part of the Coastal region
Warm dry, sheltered valley surrounded by horseshoe-shaped mountain range
400-500m altitude, mountain shade, cold morning air trapped in valleys
Water holding soil and water management systems collecting rainfall
Chenin, Shiraz, Colombard, some Pinotage & premium cape blends
Wellington
District of Coastal Region
45 minutes NE of Cape Town
Shiraz, big red blends
Alluvial terraces and foothills of Hawequa Mountaints/lots of mesoclimates
Known for nurseries that supply South African wineries with cuttings
Breede River Valley Region
Warm and dry, high yields, grapes for distilling
Irrigation from Breede River
Some high quality estates
Breedekloof
District of Breede River Valley Region
Upper area of Breede River
Adequate rainfall for no irrigation
winter and spring snows delay budburst, spring frost a hazard
Warm continental, later harvest
Cooling summer SE winds
Chenin, Colombard, Chard, Pinotage, Shiraz, CS
Worcester
District of Breede River Valley Region
400mm rainfall (rainshadow)
fertile loamy soils, brandy grapes
Colombard, Chenin, Chard, SB, Viognier, Shiraz
Robertson
District of Breede River Valley Region
Warm, low rainfall
Cooling SE winds, moisture from Indian OCean
Flat plains for high yield
Some limestone soils for Chardonnay
Colombard, Chenin, SB, Shiraz, CS
Olifants River Region
Most northerly, very dry, 200mm rain
high yields for coops/distillation
Namaqua Wines
Citrusdal Mountain and Lutzville Valley districts, and Bamboes Bay and Piekenierskloof wards, 450-550m
Cape South Coast Region
Atlantic Ocean
SB, Chard, PN
Small, recent plantings
Walker Bay
District of Cape Coast South
Cool region, Atlantic
Tim Hamilton-RUssell
Chard & Pinot
Hemel-en-Aarde
Ward of Walker Bay
three wards, inland from seaside town of Hermanus
Cooling winds, north aspect
55% clay in soil (like Burgundy)
Cover crops
Chard & Pinot, Big Six, experiments like Albarino and Viognier
Hemel-en-Arrde Valley
Ward
lowest in altitude
PN and Chard, fresher and brighter but still ripe (up to 14% abv)
Upper Hemel en Aarde Valley
Ward
higher in elevation, north and west aspects
Hemel en Aarde Ridge
Ward
Inland, smallest but coldest and highest - 400m elevation
south and east aspects
Babylonstoren Mountains
Bot River
Ward of Walker Bay
from Bot River Lagoon which sends cold winds towards neighbouring mountains
Warmer than Hemel-en-Aarde but cooler than PAarl and Stellenbosch
SB and Chenin, warm enough for RHone varieties and red-fruited Pinotage
Elgin
District
70km south of Cape Town on an inland plateau 200-400m
Cooler, high altitude and cloud cover
1000mm per year
Botrytis
SB, Chard, Riesling, Pinot, Merlot, Shiraz, fresh style
Klein Karoo
semi arid
port style, fortified, brandy
SB, Chard, Shiraz in small quantities
Initiatives
Integrated Production of Wine
Biodiversity and Wine Initiative
WWF-SA Conservation Champion Programme
Integrity and Sustainability Seal
Sustainable Wine South Africa
Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Assocation
Fairtrade
1994
Democratic elections, trade sanctions removed
Foreign investors
WOSA
Wines of South Africa
Established 1990’s
Export
50%
Volume wine exports, 22m litres in 1992 to 250m in 2017
UK, Germany, USA, China, African countries
