South African Wine Regions
The
majority of the South African wines are produced in the Southwestern part
of the country within 500 km of the city of Cape Town. In 1973, with the
introduction of the Wine of Origin system (W.O.), South Africa's wine
land were divided into a series of official regions, districts, wards
and estates.
15 wine regions have the W.O. system :
| Constantia W.O. |
Overberg W.O. |
| Darling W.O | Paarl W.O. |
| Durbanville W.O | Piketberg W.O. |
| Elim W.O | Robertson W.O. |
| Little Karoo | Stellenbosch W.O |
| Olifants River | Swartland W.O. |
| Northern Cape | Tulbagh W.O |
The W.O. sets standards
for such things as allowable grape varieties and labeling. For example,
varietal wines sold in South Africa must contain 75 percent of that grape,
85 percent if the wines are to be exported.
