South African wine

South African wine has a history dating back to 1659, with the first bottle being produced in Cape Town by its founder and governor Jan van Riebeeck. Access to international markets led to increased investment in South Africa's wine industry. Production is concentrated around Cape Town and almost exclusively located within the Western Cape province, with major vineyard and production centres at Constantia, Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester.

There are approximately 60 appellations within the Wine of Origin (WO) system, which was implemented in 1973, with a hierarchy of designated production regions, districts, and wards. Wines must only contain grapes from the specific area of origin. "Single vineyard" wines must come from a defined area of less than 6 hectares. An "Estate Wine" may be produced from adjacent farms if they are farmed together and wine is produced on-site. A ward is an area with a distinctive soil type or climate and is roughly equivalent to a European appellation.

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