SA Wine 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 Certification Authority 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
