Facts and Figures about the South African Wine Industry

In recent years the South African wine industry has grown to one of the most prominent and in an industry that is so competitive, how have they got a foothold in the market? The traditional wine producing areas of the world are Italy, France and Spain but these wines now have competition in the form of New World Wines from the likes of South Africa, New Zealand and the United States of America. During this article you will find some interesting facts and figures about the South African wine industry.

In 2005, the country produced over 628 million litres but with an increase in popularity and demand the production of wine has increased to a point where in 2010 they produced over 780 million litres. This shows the increase in popularity of South African wines and in terms of exports, the United Kingdom and Germany account for over 45% of total exports with Sweden, the Netherlands and Denmark also being major exporting countries for South Africa.

As wine producing has become more profitable to the country, the need to introduce more vineyards as well as increasing the area of the current ones became apparent. With over 112,000 hectares of vineyard in the country there is plenty of room for further growth in coming years. This means that there is sure to be further growth in the demand for wines from the South African regions in years to come. Over the years, as New World wines have become more popular and occupy the shelves of the largest supermarkets and shops in the UK.

South Africa is now the seventh largest producer of wine in the world as it looks to increase the brand perceptions of its wines. With rose, red and white wines all on offer, customers have a fantastic range of wines to choose from so they will never be short of choice if they are looking for a great wine from South Africa. Despite common perceptions, the Cape Winelands which are located at the southernmost tip of Africa enjoy a Mediterranean climate with wet and cool winters and warm dry summers, perfect for the grapes.

In terms of grape variety, Chenin is still king in the country although whilst white grapes used to occupy around 80% of vineyards, after nearly 40% of vineyards were replanted the split between white and red grapes is nearly 50-50 now. This is going to help South Africa keep up with demand as the popularity of their wines increases.