South Africa Flashcards
What equator points are most of south african wine regions found at?
32 and 35 south
What allows South Africa to be cooler?
The cold benguela current flows past the tip and up western africa cooling coastal areas (comes from the southern ocean).
What is the cape doctor?
A strong south easterly wind that brings airs cooled by the ocean further inland and can cool by a couple of degrees.
What is the name of South African wine scheme?
Wine of Origin (W.o)
What are the most important regions for grape growing in the western cape?
- Coastal region
- Breede River Valley
- Cape south coast
If a south african bottle of wine has IPW on this what does it stand for and mean?
Means that the wine maker is a part of a voluntary sustainble agricultural scheme. Production ofWine.
What are the key black varietals in South Africa?
Cab Sauv - most widely planted and often blended with Cab Franc and Merlot
Merlot - full bodied and plummy wines
Syrah - widely planted rich full bodied ripe black fruit with high alcohol, also planted in cooler areas which allows for less full bodied peppery examples.
Pinot Noir - only small coastal areas.
Pinotage - often blended with international varieties, range of styles from light red berry or bush vines that provide full bodied examples.
What is pinotage a hybrid of?
Pinot noir x cinsault
What is a cape blend?
Pinotage x international variety
What are key white varities in south africa?
Chenin Blanc - most planted variety all together, use range of different from sparkling to full barrl
Colombard - second most planted and used for Brandy
Chardonnay - exceptional quality, especially at cooler sites. Lees stirring popular
Sauvignon Blanc - best examples come out of cooler regions and show citrus and green fruit.
Muscat of Alexandria (Hanepoot) - sweet wines from late harvest
What are white wines from Swartland like?
High quality white blend
made from chenin and blended with rhone whites such as marsanne, roussane, grenache blanc and viogner
what percent of wines in south africa come from the western cape?
90%
Where does the inexpensive wine from South Africa come from?
Very hot and irrigated Orange river in the northern cape.
What areas are included in the coastal region of south africa?
Stellenbosch
Paarl
Constania
Durbanville
Swartland
What areas are included in the cape south coast?
- Elgin
- Walker bay
Discuss the wines and topography of the wines from stellenbolsch
- Stretch from the coast of somerset west right up into the mountains
- climate here is moderate
- good rainfall and cooled by the winds from False bay
- lots of different soil types so is split into lots of wards to highlight diversity
- Top class red - Cab Sauv, merlot, Syrah and cape blends.
- cooler sites produce chardonnay and SB.
Discuss the wines and topography of Paarl
Large district which lies to the north of Stellenbosch.
- more inland so tend to be hotter
- pinotage, syrah and cab
- chenin blanc and chardonnay
Discuss the wines and topography of Swartzland
- used to be large area for inexpensive grapes and is undergoing work to make more premium wines
- old vine chenin blanc and high quality syrah - these vine are dry farmed which lower yields but increase fruit concentration.
Discuss the wines and topography of Constania Ward
- has some of the oldest vines in the cape which lie on the eastern flanks of Table Mountain
- vineyarsds cooled by Cape Doctor
- reputation for SB
- Home of historic sweet wine Vin De Constance
Discusss the wines and topography of Durbanville
Hillside sites north of the cape and cooled by sea breezes.
Sauvignon Blanc reputation
What is Vin De Constance?
A sweet wine made form late harvested muscat in the ward of Costania.
What wards and districts are importsnt in the Breede River Valley?
Worcester and Robertson
What are the wines and topography of Worcester?
Lies in the western end of the Breede River Valley.
- hot dry climate with irrigation being drawn from the river
- fertile soils which do high yields of Chenin Blanc and Colmbard -lots of this is used for distilling
Discuss the wines and topography of Roberston district?
- East of Worcester
- Similar but cooler climate to Worcester
- reliable source of well made high volume brands
- cooling breezes and less fertile out crops can have great chardonnu and syrah
What is an important ward in the district of Walker Bay?
Hemel-en-Aarde
What kind of wines come out of Hemel-en-AArde?
High quality chardonnay and Pinot Noir.
SB, Merlot and Syrah are grown also.
What is the topography and wines that come out of Elgin?
- North west of walker bay
- altitude is a important cooling influence
- intense fresh SB and high quality pinot, chardonnay and Syrah.
What is an important ward that is in Elgin and what does it produce?
Eilm.
Reputation for pungent, herbaceous SB.
