:Wine regions of South Africa

{{short description|Areas within South Africa where wine is manufactured}}

File:South African wine regions.jpg

The wine regions of South Africa were defined under the "Wine of Origin" (Wyn van Oorsprong) act of 1973. Mirroring the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, all South African wines listing a "Wine of Origin" must be composed entirely of grapes from its region.T. Stevenson. "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia", pp. 445-446, Dorling Kindersley 2005, {{ISBN|0-7566-1324-8}}. The "Wine of Origins" (WO) program mandates how wine regions of South Africa are defined and can appear on wine labels. While some aspects of the WO are taken from the AOC, the WO is primarily concerned with accuracy in labeling. As a result, the WO does not place adjunct regulations on wine regions such as delineating permitted varieties, trellising methods, irrigation techniques, and crop yields.

The WO system divides growing regions into four categories. The largest and most generic are Geographical Units (such as the Western Cape region) which subsume the smaller, but still broad spanning Regions (such as Cape South Coast). Under these are clustered districts (like Walker Bay) and within them are wards (such as Elgin). Although these are geographic units, regions and districts are largely traced by political boundaries (wards are the segment most defined by unique, Terroir characteristics).J. Robinson (ed). "The Oxford Companion to Wine", Third Edition, pp. 162-163, Oxford University Press 2006 {{ISBN|0-19-860990-6}}.

Summary table

class="wikitable"

! Geographical units

! Region

! District

! Ward

Western CapeBreede River ValleyBreedekloofGoudini
Slanghoek
RobertsonAgterkliphoogte
Bonnievale
Boesmansrivier
Eilandia
Hoopsrivier
Klaasvoogds
Le Chasseur
McGregor
Vinkrivier
Cape South CoastCape AgulhasElim
OverbergElgin
Greyton
Klein Rivier
Theewater
Plettenberg Bay
SwellendamBuffeljags
Malgas
Stormsvlei
Walker BayBot River
Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge
Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
Sunday's Glen
Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley
OtherHerbertsdale
Stilbaai East
Coastal RegionCape Peninsula
DarlingGroenekloof
Franschhoek/Franschhoek Valley
PaarlSimonsberg-Paarl
Voor Paardeberg
Wellington
StellenboschBanghoek
Bottelary
Devon Valley
Jonkershoek Valley
Papegaaiberg
Polkadraai Hills
Simonsberg-Stellenbosch
SwartlandMalmesbury
Riebeekberg
Tulbagh
TygerbergDurbanville
Philadelphia
Wellington
OtherConstantia
Hout Bay
Klein KarooCalitzdorp
Langeberg-Garcia
OtherMontagu
Tradouw
Tradouw Highlands
Outeniqua
Upper Langkloof
Olifants RiverCitrusdal Mountain,Piekenierskloof
Citrusdal Valley
Lutzville ValleyKoekenaap
OtherBamboes Bay
Spruitdrift
Vredendal
Cederberg
Ceres
Lamberts Bay
Prince Albert Valley
Swartberg
Northern CapeDouglasHartswater
Central Orange River
Rietrivier FS
Sutherland-Karoo
Eastern CapeSt Francis Bay
KwaZulu-Natal
Limpopo

Geographical units

  • Western Cape - A large multi-regional designation covering every appellation except those in the Northern Cape.
  • KwaZulu-Natal - The whole Province was designated as a Geographical Unit in August 2005.
  • Eastern Cape - The Eastern Cape Province was designated South Africa’s newest wine region in 2009.{{cite web | last = Sokopo | first =Asa | title = Eastern Cape's First Wine Estate | publisher = Daily Dispatch - South Africa | date = 5 June 2010 | url = http://www.dispatch.co.za/article/e-cape's-first-wine-estate-2010-06-05.html | access-date = 2010-06-05 }}
  • Limpopo
  • Northern Cape

Regions

Western Cape

Northern Cape

Eastern Cape

Districts

Wards

File:Stellenbosch sauv blanc.jpg

Western Cape:

Other wards in the Olifants River Region - Bamboes Bay, Spruitdrift, Vredendal, Cederberg, Ceres, Lamberts Bay, Prince Albert Valley and Swartberg

Northern Cape:

Eastern Cape:

See also

References

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