Regions, Districts, Wards

South Africa’s Wine of Origin (WO) Scheme – with updates – recognises various geographical areas on the basis of Mother Nature’s role in determining the characteristics of a wine. Without discounting what the winemaker and viticulturist bring to bear, it is the soil, the climate and the weather that are considered the most important factors influencing the end product and which together comprise what wine aficionados refer to as the terroir.

The largest geographical areas recognised by South Africa’s Wine & Spirit Board are the provinces of the Western Cape, Northern Cape, Eastern Cape, KwaZulu-Natal (KZN), Limpopo, North West and the Free State. Limpopo and North West don’t include any smaller production areas as demarcated by the Board. Free State includes the ward Rietrivier. KZN includes the districts Central Drakensberg and Lions River. The Eastern Cape includes the ward St Francis Bay. The Northern Cape ‘unit’ includes the wine-producing districts of Douglas, Sutherland-Karoo and Central Orange River (which includes the wards Groblershoop, Grootdrink, Kakamas, Keimoes and Upington), as well as the wards Hartswater and Prieska that fall outside the three districts. There is also a tiny ward in the province of Gauteng: Lanseria.

Most of South Africa’s winemaking takes place in the Western Cape at the ‘bottom’ of the continent, between roughly 31.6 degrees south (Vredendal) and around 34.5 degrees south (Elim), and here the various wine regions, districts and wards are as follows:

BREEDE RIVER VALLEY REGION

BREEDEKLOOF DISTRICT
which includes the wards Goudini and Slanghoek

ROBERTSON DISTRICT
which includes the following wards: Agterkliphoogte, Ashton, Boesmansrivier, Bonnievale, Eilandia, Goedemoed, Goree, Goudmyn, Hoopsrivier, Klaasvoogds, Le Chasseur, McGregor, Vinkrivier and Zandrivier

WORCESTER DISTRICT
which includes the wards Hex River Valley, Keeromsberg, Nuy, Rooikrans, Scherpenheuwel and Stettyn

CAPE SOUTH COAST REGION

CAPE AGULHAS DISTRICT
which includes the ward Elim

ELGIN DISTRICT

Herbertsdale ward

LOWER DUIVENHOKS RIVER DISTRICT

Napier ward

OVERBERG DISTRICT
which includes the wards Elandskloof/Kaaimansgat, Greyton, Klein River and Theewater

PLETTENBERG BAY DISTRICT

Still Bay East ward

SWELLENDAM DISTRICT
which includes the wards Buffeljags, Malgas and Stormsvlei

WALKER BAY DISTRICT
which includes the following wards: Bot River, Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley, Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, Sunday’s Glen, Springfontein Rim and Stanford Foothills

COASTAL REGION

Bamboes Bay ward

CAPE TOWN DISTRICT
which includes the wards Constantia, Durbanville, Hout Bay and Philadelphia
Cape Point / Noordhoek not officially demarcated as a separate ward

DARLING DISTRICT
which includes the ward Groenekloof

FRANSCHHOEK DISTRICT

Lambert’s Bay ward

LUTZVILLE VALLEY DISTRICT
which includes the ward Koekenaap

PAARL DISTRICT
which includes the wards Agter-Paarl, Simonsberg-Paarl and Voor-Paardeberg

St Helena Bay ward

STELLENBOSCH DISTRICT
which includes the following wards: Banghoek, Bottelary, Devon Valley, Jonkershoek Valley, Papegaaiberg, Polkadraai Hills, Simonsberg-Stellenbosch and Vlottenburg
Faure, Helderberg, Stellenbosch Mountain and Upper Blaauwklippen Road not officially demarcated as separate wards
Somerset West and Sir Lowry’s Pass wines officially regarded by the Wine & Spirit Board as WO Stellenbosch, strange as that may seem

SWARTLAND DISTRICT
which includes the wards Malmesbury, Paardeberg / Perdeberg, Paardeberg South, Piket-Bo-Berg, Porseleinberg, Riebeekberg and Riebeeksrivier

TULBAGH DISTRICT

WELLINGTON DISTRICT
which includes the wards Blouvlei, Bovlei, Groenberg, Limietberg and Mid-Berg River

KLEIN KAROO REGION

CALITZDORP DISTRICT
which includes the ward Groenfontein

Cango Valley ward

Koo Plateau ward

LANGEBERG-GARCIA DISTRICT

Montagu ward

Outeniqua ward

Tradouw ward

Tradouw Highlands ward

Upper Langkloof ward

OLIFANTS RIVER REGION

CITRUSDAL MOUNTAIN DISTRICT
which includes the ward Piekenierskloof

CITRUSDAL VALLEY DISTRICT

Spruitdrift ward

Vredendal ward

OTHER DISTRICTS & WARDS

Cederberg ward

CERES PLATEAU DISTRICT
which includes the ward Ceres

Leipoldtville-Sandveld ward

Nieuwoudtville ward

PRINCE ALBERT DISTRICT
which includes the wards Kweekvallei, Prince Albert Valley and Swartberg

 

Source: SAWIS

Click here for SAWIS maps

 

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