A WORLD IN ONE COUNTRY

South Africa has 5 wine regions, divided into 14 very diverse wine districts classified under the Wine of Origin Areas by the Wine and Spirit Board. Each is comprised of smaller wards, where specific meso-climates and terroirs dictate marked differences in grape varieties and wine styles.

Cape wine country extends over a substantial geographic area, from the northern West Coast region on the Atlantic Ocean to the near desert of the Klein Karoo.

These different wine areas are amongst the most beautiful in the world. They range from historic Constantia on the slopes of Table Mountain to the centuries' old towns of Stellenbosch, Paarl and Franschhoek; from the fertile valley of the Breede River to the gentle rolling hills of the Olifants River and dry riverbeds of Calitzdorp.

The climate of the Western Cape is mild with gentle summers and cool winters, with rain falling between May and August. Winds from the ocean – in particular from the Atlantic, which is chilled by the icy Benguela current – moderate the summer warmth. Further east and towards the north, the Klein Karoo, Olifants River and Orange River areas tend to be warmer and drier.

Every wine-growing region in the Western Cape is blessed with unique, often superb conditions, with soil types varying from granite in the Stellenbosch and Paarl districts, to limestone in the Robertson, and shale in the Swartland and West Coast areas . Exciting variation to this potential is added by oceanic influences combining with towering mountain ranges to create markedly different micro-climates within short distances. At the end of the rainbow the world's greatest wines are born…