Estate Living Digital Publication Issue 3 March 2015 | Page 11

THE VINES

Despite its many positive achievements,
the KWV blurred the distinction
between good and bad quality wine. A
Louse-like aphids, commonly known as system incentivised by quantity rather
the phylloxera plague that destroyed than quality meant farmers simply
vineyards worldwide in the 1880s, grew as many grapes as they could
arrived in the Cape in 1886. In four regardless of condition, then sold them
years, a quarter of the vines had been to co-operatives that made the wine.
destroyed. It was believed that North The KWV would market and sell these
American vines were immune to the wines locally and internationally.
disease and a tremendous effort to
replant American rootstocks began, The imposed quota system also
resulting in flourishing vineyards. Soon, hindered ambitious producers from
the amount of wine produced was in exploring new vineyard areas in order
to make exciting variations. The ‘Estate
surplus to the amount of demand.
Wine’ concept did, however, support
As a result, Kooperative Wijnbouwers the handful of farms making so-called
Vereniging van Zuid Afrika (‘Co- Estate Wines, the majority of which was
operative Winemakers’ Society of of a very good quality and production of
South Africa’) was formed in 1918. The some fabulous wine began to escalate
main aim of the KWV was to ensure steadily, including Pinotage in 1925.
long-term stability of the industry and The industry was relatively isolated
to maintain a rewarding return for both between the 1960s and mid-1980s
the producer and the organisation by due to apartheid-induced sanctions,
combating constant issues concerning with moderate demand locally, hitting
overproduction and sharp price fluxes. the producers hard, many of whom
became bankrupt.
The KWV’s popularity steadily
escalated amongst the wine farmers A happy ending for all…
and, in 1924, the government gave the
KWV power to fix the price of brandy 1994 dramatically changed South
and, by 1940, this power was extended Africa in so many ways, inclusive of
to the price of ordinary table wine. A the wine industry. By 1997, the KWV
few years later, the KWV was given ceased to exist as a regulatory body and
centralised power to set prices for the the quota system and pre-established
pricing was abolished. In 1972, the
entire wine production process.
And then there was the KWV
revolution…

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Wine of Origin Scheme was introduced
in order to establish a sustainable
model by further recognising and
protecting the distinct qualities of wine
from certain areas that were made of
specific grape varieties and vintages.
The KWV remains in existence, but only
as a large wine producer and as a result
many may argue that a good majority
of South Africa’s internationally
recognised wines have only actually
been produced in the last few decades
after the industry was free to grow,
innovate and change.
Wine Wisdom
•The top five grape varieties in South
Africa are Chenin Blanc, Cabernet
Sauvignon, Colombard, Shiraz and
Sauvignon Blanc, with Chenin Blanc
being the most popular.
•Nearly all of our wine is made in the
Cape Floral Kingdom. 70% of the plants
in this area don’t grow anywhere else
on the planet and there are only six
kingdoms of this kind in the world.
•The wine industry has been
contributing at least 10% every year to
the country’s GDP since 2003.