South Africa Flashcards
quick history of sa wines
- origins 360 years ago when europeans are settling in the cape of good hope
- start in 94 first democratic election won by the African National Congress (both bulk and premium) mostly dominated by the co-op KMW
- export boom of last recent years with 85% of grapes used for wine and not spirits
general climate of sa and latitude
warm mediterranean
climate 32-35 (similar to california and istrael)
influences of sa
- western cape’s mountain ranges
- proximity of the oceans
- benguela current (cold north current) + agulhas current (warm from indian ocean)
- cape doctor
cape doctor, what is it?
pro and cons
south-eastern wind comes during spring/summer
extends effect of cold benguela current
pro: brings rains into south coast, inhibits diseases
cons: damage leaves (photonsynthesis/ripeness) affects flowering and berry set [reduce yields]
2 main problems in sa climate
- spring frost (not always)
- lack of winter freeze (vines do not rest in winter)
rains in sa and remedies
depends on the area usually in may/august
70mm around stellenbosch, north less ( reduce effect of benguela and rain shadow effect)
irrigation (usually drip) or old vines are necessary drought is a recent problem, some vineyards are dry farmed
most planted varieties in sa
- chenin (20% production, total is double loire)
- colombard
- cab sauv
- syrah
- sauv blanc
- pinotage
- chardonnay
- merlot
where pinotage comes from
cross of pinot noir with cinsault bred at Univeristy of Stellenbosch in 1925
pinotage specs
- early budding
- moderating susceptible to fungal
- high sugar accumulates fast
- deep colour (just 5 days on skin for deep)
winemaking techniques to make better pinotage
- avoiding water stress in the vineyard
- avoid high fermentation temperatures
three main soils in sa
- table mountain sandstone - low nutrients, water retention (careful irrigation or fertilisation)
- granite (mountains foothills or hills) - water retention
- shale (scisto) - high nutrients, good water retention
water retention soils can advantage what technique?
dry farming
main problem in the soils of sa
extremely acid - needs lime treatment to balance ph (nutrients might not be available to the vine to grow), sometimes lower density of planting
viruses/diseases in sa
- leafroll and fanleaf (remedy is plant virus tested vines)
- powdery mildew (remedy is fungicides, organic methods)
most common training and pruning systems
- vsp (pruning is easier)
- short spur pruning (mechanisation)
is hand harvest suitable in sa?
yes, as there’s enough labour
in sa yields are depending on what?
- presence or absence of irrigation
- vine spacing
- vine age
- producer style (inexpensive or premium)
is organic farming famous in sa?
few organic biodynamic high IPM (integrated pest management) and IPW (integrated production of wine)
IPW
integrated production of wine 1998 system detailed towards carbon emission, conservation of soils, riverse and wetlands 90% of exported producers are signed in
yield and harvesting chenin: inexpensive vs premium
inexpensive: high yields, spraying to avoid botrytis, no sorting at harvesting
premium: low yields, dry land/old vines, small botrytis can be allowed, careful sorting during harvesting
are inexpensive chenin blended?
yes, with colombard up to 15% or other lesser varieties
is acidification common in Sa?
yes for inexpensive, in premium is avoided
ageing chenin in premium wines
lees 3-9 months old oak, concrete eggs, amphora
10-12 months oak ageing (% of new is possible)
depends on the producer
winemaking choices for pinotage
- cold soak (improve colour extraction)
- pumping over/punch down at the start of fermentation (lower alcohol level, less tannin extraction)
- early release for inexpensive (6-12 months), oak chips are sometimes used, premium 12-15 months in oak (50% at least new usually) and released after 2 years
3 main blends in south africa
- white cape blends (chenin dominant with rhone varieties, chard, semillon and sauvignon blanc)
- red bordeaux blends (also some whites)
- red cape blends (varies but usually mostly pinotage and rhone varieties)
production areas in sa
political or geographical units:
- geographical unit - very large areas (e.g. walker bay)
- region - large areas named after a major feature (coastal region, breede river valley) more terroir based:
- district (e.g. stellebosch like wards but defined within major centres e.g. mountain range or city centres)
- ward (based on terroir - soil, climate, ecological
estate wines - laws
grown, made and bottled at the estate
single vineyard in label laws
registered and planted with 1 variety not bigger than 6ha
what is labeling goal for wines of origin scheme
make sure that what is written on the label is true
labeling rules for WO scheme
- region 100% from the stated region
- vintage and variety 85%
coastal region % production
45% total area under vine in the country
25% of total south african wine yield are typically lower than other area
coastal region districts
cape town
darling
franschhoek
paarl
stellenbosch
swartland