South Africa ranked eighth among the biggest wine-producing countries on the planet, ahead of Germany and Portugal, behind Australia, Chile and Argentina. In 2021 South Africa produced 911-million litres of wine from 1.5-million tonnes crushed grapes produced from vineyards covering 122 000 hectares on 2 613 farms where grapes are grown for wine production. Wine is produced at 536 wineries of which 224 are small boutique wineries crushing fewer than 100 tonnes of grapes and 37 large scale wineries crushing over 10 000 tonnes of grapes. There are a total of 43 co-operative wineries, joint ventures (5 to 100 members) between farmers and wine producers where farmers deliver grapes to the cellar who supplies the facilities to produce the wine. Co-operatives were important in the early development of the wine industry in South Africa when grape growers combined efforts to ensure financial stability. KWV was the first such co-operative, established in 1920s, with 5 000 members at some point and controlled 70% of wine exports. Although the growth in the wine industry meant that co-operatives made way for wine estates and wineries, the smaller wine producers are still organised into co-operatives to compete in the saturated wine market.
South African wine exports totalled 387.9-million litres, with 37.5% packaged and 62.5% sold in bulk. The three countries to which South African wine are exported to include the United Kingdom (92.5-million litres including 59 million litres in bulk), Germany (65.2-million litres including 54.7 million litres in bulk), and the USA (42.3-million litres including 33.1 million litres in bulk).
Compared to red wine slightly more white wine is produced nationally with 55.1% of white wines produced, which are made-up of:
- Chenin Blanc: 18.6%
- Colombar(d): 11.1%
- Sauvignon Blanc: 10.9%
The 44.9% of red wines produced nationally are dominated by:
- Cabernet Sauvignon: 10.8%
- Shiraz / Syrah: 10%
- Pinotage: 7.3%
- Merlot: 5.9%
South African wine regions
South Africa’s winelands can be broadly divided into six geographical regions. These are the Coastal Region, centred around Cape Town, Stellenbosch and Paarl, the more inland Breede River Valley Region around Worcester (Breedekloof and Worcester districts) and Robertson, the Olifants River Region on the West coast (Clanwilliam, Lutzville, Doringbaai), the Cape South Coast Region (Hemel-en-Aarde, Hemanus to George), Klein Karoo Region (Calitzdorp, Oudshoorn) and lastly the Orange River Region in the Northern Cape.
The Breede River Valley wine region
The Breede River Valley wine region is the largest wine-producing region in the Western Cape Province with more than a quarter of the total South African wine produced here. The Western Cape is the most significant wine region of South Africa. This Breede River Valley Region stretches from the Breedekloof to Swellendam. The entire length of the Breede River Valley wine region covers almost 130 kilometres, the world’s longest wine route. The magnificent Breede River Valley wine region is bordered by the majestic Langeberg Mountains which separate the Breede River Valley wine region from the adjacent semi-desert Klein Karoo area. The Breede River Valley wine region is home to a range of different wineries, including small boutique wineries and larger cooperative wineries.
The area under wine grapes over the three sub-regions of the Breede River Valley wine region combined is 90 512 hectares.
- Breedekloof: 12 752 hectares, 188 farms, 19 independent cellars, 10 co-operative cellars
- Robertson: 12 690 hectares, 267 farms, 37 independent cellars, 7 co-operative cellars
- Worcester: 6 417 hectares, 199 farms, 11 independent cellars, 8 co-operative cellars
The wines from these sub-regions are known throughout the world for their high quality and class. As you travels through Worcester why not explore the remarkable wines of the Breede River Valley wine region ?
- The Breedekloof sub-region includes wineries in the region of Goudini, Rawsonville, Slanghoek
- The Robertson sub-region includes wineries in the region of Ashton, Bonnievale, McGregor and other wards.
- The Worcester sub-region includes wineries in the region of Hex River Valley (De Doorns), Nuy, Scherpenheuwel, Stettyn and other wards.
A wide range of grape varieties are planted here with the most important white wine grape varieties including: Chenin Blanc, Colombard and Sauvignon Blanc, whereas the dominant red wine grape varieties include: Shiraz, Pinotage and Cabernet Sauvignon. Along with wine production, the Hex River Valley also produces nearly 90 000 tons of table grapes each year. Worcester is also famous for its brandy, and the largest brandy distillery in the southern hemisphere, the KWV House of Brandy, is located here.
The establishment of vineyards in the area around Worcester are attributed to the German settlers which arrived after the town of Worcester was established in the 1830s and began to cultivate the land, planting vineyards and orchards.
The terroir
The French term, terroir, refers to the combination of factors including soil, climate, and sunlight that gives wine grapes their distinctive character and ultimately the taste and quality of the wine. In addition topography, resulting from differential weathering of the geological units, is significant in the local terroir. Factors such as warm or cool slope orientation and the effects of altitude on mean temperatures and rainfall are important.
The role of soils and bedrock geology has long been acknowledged as a fundamental component of terroir. Soil has a major influence on the growth of the vine as it provides three basic functions: a supply of water, anchorage in the ground, and a source of nutrition. The bedrock is usually (but not exclusively) solid, unweathered rock from which plant roots derive little benefit. The bedrock, however, influence important soil factors such as the nutrient content and pH levels.
For successful viticulture the soil must possess good drainage qualities yet should also be capable of supplying water to the vine throughout the year, including dry periods. The soil structure (its physical nature) and texture (the effects of soil particle size – ie. clay vs sandy soils) are vitally important as they directly impact the porosity and permeability of the soil which plays a vital role in the ability of the soil to support plant life.
Three main types of vineyard soil are important in South Africa:
Residual and colluvial soils (where soil movement on a local scale has occurred) produced as a direct result of the physical and chemical breakdown (weathering) of the local bedrock. There is therefore a direct association between the soil and the geology. In the Western Cape stable geological conditions have existed for the last 65 million years resulting in well-developed residual soils of considerable antiquity.
Alluvial soils where weathered material has been transported over large distances and has been deposited by the action of water – predominantly rivers. Alluvial soil characteristics generally vary widely, ranging from gravel deposits (rounded river cobbles) to clay (fine grained particles) layers, sometimes over short distances. These are the dominant soils on which vineyards in the Berg, Breede and Olifants river valley bottoms have been developed.
Aeolian soils are soils deposited by wind action. These soils are sandy, and typically cover a residual clay subsoil layer. The soil characteristics are normally unrelated to the immediate bedrock geology, as the soil material has been transported, often for large distances, from its source. Some vineyards in the Bottelary and Koelenhof areas to the north and west of Stellenbosch are examples of Aeolian vineyard soils.
The Breede River Valley wine region
Climatically the Breede River wine region area is varied with the northwestern parts of the valley between Tulbagh and Worcester experiencing the hottest temperatures and receive the most rainfall. Between Worcester and Robertson the climate is hot with low rainfall. The southeastern areas between Robertson and Bonnivale are the coolest portion of the valley, influenced by breezes and fog from the Indian Ocean.
The Worcester sub-region is protected from extreme weather by the Hex River and Langeberg Mountains to the north while in the south, the Boland and Riviersonderend Mountains separate the region from Stellenbosch and Walker Bay. The Worcester area is particularly hot, with average summer temperatures often reaching well beyond 30°C and has a Mediterranean climate with winter rainfall. The area around Worcester has a very low annual rainfall as a result of the surrounding mountain ranges which cause an overlap in rain shadows which means that irrigation is required during summer. Irrigation water for drip irrigation is provided mainly from the nearby Brandvlei Dam.
As a result of the climatic and topographical variations in the Worcester district, wine styles vary greatly. While the majority of grapes are grown on the gently rolling valley floor, higher-quality wines are made from vineyards on the surrounding mountain slopes. Here, soils with good drainage produce vines with low yields and highly concentrated fruit, in turn producing more-complex and concentrated wines. River gravels are associated with some of the world’s best vineyards, (e.g., Bordeaux).
Topography and slope orientation are significant components of terroir in their own right. Geology is fundamental in fashioning the landforms seen in the Cape vineyards and influences such as altitude, slope orientation and orientation towards dominant wind direction. Three geological scenarios are significant for vineyard location. Traditionally, vineyards were planted in the flood plains of the Breede River and its tributaries. Since rainfall in the region is predominantly low, access to irrigation water is important. As the region moves towards non-irrigated cultivation a significant portion of vineyards are now being planted on non-alluvial loam soils with calcareous layers. These are located further away from the river, in areas where rocks of the Bokkeveld, Witteberg, Dwyka Groups and Enon Formation occur as the bedrock. These calcareous layers are formed as a result of excess evaporation over precipitation in this low rainfall region. These soils are unique in the South African context, as they represent the only naturally alkaline vineyard soils to have been developed on a significant scale. Finally, the vineyards in the Breede River Valley are higherlying residual soils derived from shales (which can be Malmesbury – Bokkeveld – or Witteberg).
Although the valleys in the Fold Belt tend to follow fold axes, others, such as the viticulturally significant Franschoek and Worcester-Robertson (Breede River) valleys, are controlled by basement faults which may date back to the assembly of the supercontinent of Gondwana. A major geological fault, the Worcester fault, is the most significant feature defining the geology of the Breede River. Across this fault a total movement of up to 6 km has occurred and the fault system is still active (as the 6.3 Richter Tulbagh earthquake of 1969 testifies). The geology on either side of the fault differs. To the east the geology is dominated by the geological unit, the Malmesbury Group shale (950–550Ma), of the Cape Supergroup that rests on the older granites also noted for their acidic and potassium rich soils. Also of significance from the terroir point of view are the occasional areas of limestones within the Malmesbury Group.
To the west the geology is dominated by the 400–340 million year old marine sandstones and shales of the Bokkeveld and Witteberg Groups of the Cape Supergroup and overlying (300–275 million year old) sediments of the Karoo SUpergroup, comprising the Dwyka tillite, deposited during the last major glaciation to affect southern Africa, and the Ecca Group shale.
So what does it all mean for the wine?
It is important to remember that the final taste of the wine is a complex interaction between the natural elements – climate, weather, topography and soil/geology – combined with the influence of the winemaker and viticulturalist. This combination produces variations in wine taste and quality.
Further reading
Bargmann, C. J., 2003, Geology and Wine 7. Geology and wine production in the Coastal Region, Western Cape Province, South Africa. Geoscience Canada, v. 30, 4, December 2003, p161-182.
