SA ALLOWS SINGLE-VINEYARD LABELS
19, November 2003 By Kim Maxwell

Mention of a ‘single-vineyard wine’ will soon be legal on South African labels,
provided the surface area of a production unit doesn’t exceed five hectares, and
refers to a single variety.
Wine & Spirits Board secretary Hugo van der Merwe confirmed that the board
approved these recommendations on 24 October. The board’s legal committee is
drafting legislation for final approval by the National Department of Agriculture. This
could take six months, but Van der Merwe says the decision is unlikely to be
overturned.
‘It’s a fantastic move in the right direction. It shows the authorities are listening to the
industry, especially the small guys. But I hope it won’t be abused,’ says Flagstone’s
Bruce Jack. His single-vineyard wines include The Berrio, Writer’s Block and
Heywood House, which currently cannot refer to single vineyards on labels.
Boekenhoutskloof winemaker Marc Kent agrees. He struggled to register ‘The
Chocolate Block 2002’ red blend with its ‘chocolate flavours’, mistakenly assumed by
the board to be referring to a vineyard block. Uiterwyk’s De Waal Top of the Hill
Pinotage is from a single vineyard, but the label doesn’t say so. Producer Daniël de
Waal says they are likely mention it when legislation changes.




Copyright ©2000-2001 Harpers. All rights reserved.