What We Do
Schemes
WINE OF ORIGIN
The establishment of a victual station at the Cape midway through the 17th century led to the planting of the first vineyard in 1655 and the making of wine from grapes grown at the Cape on 2 February 1659. As in Europe, certain areas and farms became known for wines with their own distinct character. The wines of Constantia, for instance, became famous and even today are considered among the finest ever produced.
The foundation for a Wine of Origin scheme started in 1970 as published in the Wine, Other Fermented Beverages and Spirits Act of 1957, which included the establishment of the Wine and Spirit Board (now known as the Wine Certification Authority). The final provisions and the establishment of the scheme was published in 1972. This new scheme would not only protect wines of origin but also wines made a specific grape variety or vintage.
Certain basic principles were taken into consideration when the system was formulated. It was, for example, necessary to comply with EU regulations because a great deal of South African wine was exported to Europe. Principles such as honesty in business, factual terms, titles, adaptability, local marketing truths and free participation were addressed.
South Africa’s Wine of Origin certification scheme officially came into operation in 1973, in accordance with the Wine, Other Fermented Beverages and Spirits Act of 1957.
View the production areas with a classification of regions, districts and wards or access maps of the wine regions of South Africa.
Importance of Origin
Because the role of origin is so important, an origin control system has been in place in the traditional winelands of Europe for many years, to protect both the producer and consumer. This approach was also adopted by the South African wine industry and enforced by law in 1973. The two aspects which play the most important role in determining the character of a wine, are natural factors (soil, climate and topography) and human inputs (cultivar choice, viticultural practices and winemaking techniques).
Of these two, natural factors are considered to be the more important factor with a greater influence. Certain areas are more suitable for the cultivation of vineyards and within the South African wine producing areas, there are extensive variations in soil, climate and topography which cause wines to differ between regions and even vineyards.
Over the years, the production of wine grapes in South Africa has proven that each area of origin lends its own unique character to wine and that certain areas are more suitable for the production of specific wine styles.
If a wine claims origin, it is the statutory regulations that ensure that the wine is really from that origin.
When the term ‘Wine of Origin’ or the abbreviation ‘W. O.’ appears together with the name of an origin area, such as Stellenbosch, Durbanville or Robertson on a label, it confirms that 100%
of the grapes from which the wine is made, come from that specific demarcated area.
Demarcation of areas of Origin
A production unit can be any demarcated area, from a single vineyard to a geographical unit. The borders of all production units, small and large, are identified and defined by experts in collaboration with affected producers and then enforced by law.
On 2 April 1993, the Wine of Origin Scheme was amended to make provision for the defining of geographical units.
Currently six geographical units have been demarcated namely: Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, Kwazulu-Natal, Limpopo and Free State.
Cape Coastal is an example of an overarching region, which was demarcated to enable producers to blend wines from different regions with a maritime climate but to market them under one name of origin. Cape Coastal includes the Cape South Coast and Coastal Region.
The next demarcated production unit is a region, i.e. Klein Karoo and Coastal Region, which is a combination of different districts or portions of districts.
The Coastal Region was demarcated to enable producers to blend wines from different districts with a maritime climate, but to market them under one name of origin. It includes the districts Cape Town, Darling, Franschhoek, Lutzville Valley, Paarl, Stellenbosch, Swartland, Tulbagh and Wellington. The wards Bamboes Bay and Lamberts Bay do not reside within a district but fall within the region. Another example of a region is the Breede River Valley which includes the districts Breedekloof, Robertson and Worcester with their respective wards.
The next demarcated production unit is a district, such as Paarl, Stellenbosch and Robertson. The entity district refers to a demarcated viticultural area which is larger and less homogeneous than a ward but still has distinctive climatic conditions.
The next demarcated production unit is a combination of different farms in close proximity and an adjacent area and is known as a ward, ie Voor-Paardeberg and Constantia.
The term ‘ward’ is used for a relatively small demarcated viticultural area with a relatively homogeneous pattern of natural factors which may include farms and is usually, but not necessarily, part of a district. The Voor-Paardeberg ward is, for instance, part of the Paarl district, but the Cederberg and Bamboes Bay wards are not part of a specific district.
ESTATE WINE
In 1972 the first regulation regarding estate certification was published under the Wine, Other Fermented Beverages and Spirits Act, Act 1957, with the first fourteen units being registered as estates in 1973. Today there are 242 registered estates.
An Estate can consist of one or more bordering farms, as long as it is farmed as a unit and has its own production cellar on the unit where the wine is produced. Where the term Estate Wine appears on a label, it confirms that the wine was bottled and produced on the Estate and that the wine is produced only from grapes grown on that specific unit.
SINGLE VINEYARD WINE
The smallest production unit is a Single Vineyard.
A vineyard will only be registered as a single vineyard if it meets certain criteria which include the hectarage, percentage of dead vines, the rootstocks, grape variety, clones and planting year.
Notice of the production of single vineyard wines must be given before harvest may commence, this is to ensure that the Authority’s inspection team does the necessary checks throughout the winemaking process to ensure the resulting wine is indeed made from the registered vineyard.
Single Vineyard Wines express the distinctive characteristics of a specific site as determined by soil, cultivar, rootstock, clone, meso-climate, exposure and viticultural and winemaking purposes.
INTEGRATED PRODUCTION OF WINE (IPW)
In 1998 the South African wine industry proposed an ambitious set of standards for the sustainable production of wine. This resulted in the establishment of the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) scheme under the Liquor Products Act. IPW, defined as the application of methods, techniques and practices in the growing of grapes and the production of wine which are in harmony with the environment, was widely adopted, propelling South Africa to the forefront of sustainability becoming the first wine producing country to legislate the sustainable production of wine.
The scheme was developed over eight years by researchers at the Agricultural Research Centre (ARC) at Nietvoorbij in Stellenbosch. It was built on the traceability system of the Wine of Origin scheme which enables the measurement of sustainability at every point of the production process, from establishing vineyards through to wine production and even packaging. Its significance was recognised globally which resulted in the International Organisation of Wine and Vine (OIV) using the principles of IPW to establish universal guidelines for sustainable viticulture in 2002.
Within a year of implementing the IPW scheme, a wide acceptance was achieved by creating a scoring system with a barrier of entry to ensure the transition to sustainable farming and wine production within the South African wine industry. Once producers were aligned with the principles of the scheme, the requirements for participation were raised incrementally over time while providing compulsory training and incentives along the way. By 2002, over 98% of all grapes harvested were grown according to IPW guidelines, while 95% of the country’s wine cellars subscribed to its principles, and this level of compliance is maintained to this day.
Claims such as ‘sustainable production’, ‘environmentally friendly’ and ‘environmentally responsible’ on South African wine labels can only be made by participants that comply with the IPW Scheme. Labels used on certified wines must be submitted to the Wine Certification Authority’s Label Committee for approval before it may be used, to ensure that any claims made on the label correspond with the wine’s origin and sustainability certification.
Wines certified as IPW compliant are issued with a certification seal, which serves as a guarantee from the Authority that wine has been certified as a Wine of Origin and that sustainable practices have been carried out from vineyard to bottle. Consumers can scan the QR code on the seal to verify the origin, grape variety, vintage year and environmental sustainability claims made on certified wines.
When the seal was introduced in 2010, South Africa became the first country in the world to certify individual bottles using such a universal tracking system.
ESTATE BRANDY
During 1993, a Scheme for Estate Brandy was promulgated which makes provision for the certification of brandy produced on a unit for the production of estate wine/brandy.
The Scheme is applicable to potstill brandy, brandy and vintage brandy.
