Wine regions of South Africa

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General location of some South African wine regions
The wine regions of South Africa were delineated under the "Wine of Origin" (Wyn van Oorsprong) legislation enacted in 1973. Sharing some similarities with the French Appellation d'origine contrôlée (AOC) system, all South African wines listing a "Wine of Origin" must be composed entirely of grapes grown in that region.[1] The "Wine of Origins" (WO) program legislates how wine regions of South Africa are defined and can appear on wine labels. While some aspects of the WO is taking from the French Appellation d'Origine Contrôlée (AOC) system, the WO is primarily concern with accuracy in labeling and doesn't place any additional regulations on wine regions such as permitted varieties, trellising methods, irrigation and crop yields. Wine regions under the WO system fall under one of four categories-the largest and most generic are Geographical Units (such as the Western Cape region) which includes the smaller, but still largely defined Regions (such as Overberg), followed by districts (like Walker Bay) and then finally wards (such as Elgin. While geographical units, regions and districts are largely defined by political boundaries-wards are the level of origin designation that is most defined by unique terroir characteristics.[2]

Regions


  • Boberg - Used only for the fortified wine production for two wine districts within the Coastal Region WO
  • Breede River Valley - contains four wine districts and seventeen wards
  • Cederberg - currently has no defined districts or wards
  • Coastal Region - contains seven districts and eighteen wards
  • Klein Karoo - contains one district and four wards
  • Northern Cape - contains one district and three wards
  • Olifants River - contains three districts and five wards
  • Overberg - contains one district and three wards
  • Piketberg - currently has no defined districts or wards

ReferencesExtracted from:http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wine_regions_of_South_Africa
  1. ^ a b T. Stevenson "The Sotheby's Wine Encyclopedia" pg 445-446 Dorling Kindersley 2005 ISBN 0756613248
  2. ^ J. Robinson (ed) "The Oxford Companion to Wine" Third Edition pg 162-163 Oxford University Press 2006 ISBN 0198609906