South African Wine

World Renowned Wine

©Roger de la Harpe
Constantia is the oldest South African wine region.
©Louise Brodie
Cabernet Sauvignon wine grapes.

South African wine is renowned across the world, with South African wine estates producing quality vintages every year. South African wine was first produced in the 1650s, with Cape Winelands wines being sought after in the 18th and 19th centuries. 

Over the course of 350 odd years, new attitudes, methods, technologies, understanding and enthusiasm have revolutionized the way wine is made and enormous investments in capital and expertise have improved production at every level.

While South African winemakers still treasure some old and established wine varietals and styles, there is a tremendous excitement within this vibrant and constantly expanding industry.

By Louise Brodie

South African Wine Grape Varietals

South African wine industry boasts the Big Six, which refers to the cultivars: Pinotage, Shiraz, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Chardonnay and ...more

Cape Winelands in Style

The Cape winelands have gentle hills and sea views in Constantia and Durbanville and great mountain peaks dominating Stellenbosch and Paarl....more

Wine Grape Growing in South Africa

South Africa has become a major player in the world's wine industry and produces a range of wines, from light table wines and full-bodied re...more

Wine Estates of South Africa

South Africa is blessed with a plethora of outstanding wine estates around the country. The Mzansi Winelands have flourished into premier to...more

The Cape Wine Route

The heart of the Cape Wine Route is roughly delineated by the triangle formed by Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschoek. Drive along just about ...more

How Wine is Made

At first glance the process of wine-making seems simple enough: you gather grapes, compress them into tanks and wait for some time to pass t...more

Vinpro

Vinpro is synonymous with the wine in South Africa and essential to the overall integrity and growth of the wine industry in the country....more

Vegan Wine

Not all wines are created equal. Some are light and crisp, some are dark and full-bodied. Others are organic with conscious consumption in m...more

Sweet Wine vs Dry Wine

When you find yourself in a crowded wine tasting room, surrounded by wine geeks who would all like your input on the ‘delicate’ dryness ...more

The Aging of Wine

The grape is but a small fruit with a soft shell and a sweet, fleshy interior that, when fermented, creates the liquid of the gods - good ol...more

Wine Styles of South Africa

The variety of wine styles produced in South Africa is extensive and includes both traditional wine styles and their more alternative modern...more

South African Wine History

The cold, wet winters and warm dry summers of a Mediterranean climate are the ideal climatic conditions to nurture vines to produce excelle...more

How to Store Open Wine

If in the aftermath of a celebration, whether it was raising a glass to the end of the week or participating in standard festivities like a ...more

Wine Tasting Club

An interest shared is an interest doubled. Case in point, wine connoisseurs the world over pronounce their enjoyment of the fermented grape ...more

What is Organic Wine?

Where one glass is only bettered by two, organic wine is the definitive tipple for you. Quotes and rhymes aside, conscious consumption has s...more

Why Vineyard Soil Matters

Most people don’t know this, but vineyards cannot just grow anywhere. Sure, you can plant them, but the key behind successful grape cultiv...more

Guide to The Wine Regions of South Africa

South Africa has earned a prestigious reputation as one of the top wine countries in the world. A relatively new addition to the worldwide w...more

Wine Type Terminology

There is an ever-expanding list of tricky wine terminology that connoisseurs like to throw around to seem fancy....more

From Vine to Vino: Sustainable Wine Farming in SA

When you purchase a bottle of wine, not much thought goes into how it was made - the harvesting process, crushing the grapes and adding yeas...more

10 Facts About Wine

Do you know what’s great? Wine. Do you know what is even greater than wine (the correct answer to this question is ‘free wine’)? These...more

Wine Exports by Country

With global sales reaching over US$35 billion in both 2017 and 2018, wine can be considered one of the world’s largest markets....more

Boxed Wine vs Bottled Wine

Although boxed wine has always been seen as the cheap and alternative saviour for poor university students, who can’t afford the ‘good s...more

Old Vineyards of South Africa

South Africa’s wine heritage adds to the country’s diverse agricultural practices and its international reputation as a top-quality wine...more

South African Wine by Law

There are numerous laws and regulations put in place by the government to ensure that the wine industry is held to a high (and legal) standa...more

Wine Co-operatives

For most of the 20th century, co-operatives defined the landscape of South African wine before moving into the back row to make way for ente...more

What’s On a Wine Label?

They date back to the early 20th century, when wine grape grower’s came together to support one another’s dreams of winemaking while sta...more

Wine Terms You Should Know

We love wine - we drink it, we savour it, we celebrate it. But, we rarely talk about it! It’s so easy to get intimidated by the special wi...more

Wine Etiquette Tips to Master

When you are not in the privacy of your own home, chugging glass after glass of wine like there’s no tomorrow, you might want to practice ...more

Weird Wine Myths Debunked

Within the tornado of expert opinions, wine snobs and trembling novices trying to make sense of everything, there are nuggets of truth that ...more

Screw Cap versus Cork

Once a screw cap closure is added to bottled wine, it is highly unlikely that the wine will age due to oxidation, a process facilitated by t...more

Cape Wine Origins

The first Cape wine in South Africa was made on the slopes of Table Mountain during the tenure of the first Dutch governor, Commander Jan va...more

Cellarmasters in the Kitchen

As artisans, the members of the Cape Winemakers Guild dedicate themselves to moulding the finest product the ancient soils and fair climes o...more