Wines produced in the surrounds of Cape Town will now be promoted under a new banner – Wine of Origin Cape Town.
A total of 29 wineries, including some of South Africa’s leading brands such as Groot Constantia, Durbanville Hills, Diemersdal, Klein Constantia, Nitida, Meerendal, Buitenverwachting and Cape Point Vineyards form part of the initiative.
Wine of Origin legislation regulates how wine areas are defined.
The term is designed to appear on wine labels as an advisory to consumers that 100% of the grapes used to produce the wine come from the demarcated area.
“Bringing our wine offering under this same banner is a natural fit, and one which will dramatically accelerate global market recognition of our produce. This move will deliver benefits to both our tourism and wine industries,” Western Cape Economic Opportunities Minister Alan Winde said in a statement.
The Wine of Origin Cape Town campaign is also aligned to the Western Cape’s Project Khulisa economic strategy, which seeks to grow jobs in tourism and in wine, through increased exports.
South African wine producers organisation Vinpro CEO Rico Basson said an official Cape Town wine district automatically links the local wine industry to one of the leading place names in international tourism, lifestyle and business.
“The collaboration between the various wards and wineries in coming together to form the new wine district is a huge step forward for the South African wine industry.”
He added that South Africa is already well-known for its wine tourism offering and this new development will add greatly by integrating its strategy through innovative marketing.
Wines of South Africa CEO Siobhan Thompson noted that the new designation would boost the profile of the country’s wines and winelands internationally.
“This new appellation will not only hold positive rewards for the region, but also for South African wine as a whole, as it will surely draw instant recognition owing to the popularity Cape Town enjoys abroad,” she said.