Representatives from the first 14 wine estates in South Africa at the celebratory luncheon hosted at Groot Constantia, Cape Town.
Few will disagree that the establishment of the Wine of Origin scheme and the legislation that allowed qualifying wineries to identify as estates was crucial to creating awareness and establishing trust in an industry that was largely unknown in the world of the 1970s. South Africa is now among the world’s top 10 producers of wine.
On 1 June 2023, representatives of wineries that were the first of today’s 234 wineries legislated as estates marked the historic occasion at a luncheon hosted at Groot Constantia Estate. They were Alto, Asara (Verdun), Backsberg, De Waal Wines (Uiterwyk), Groot Constantia, Meerendal, Middelvlei, Montpellier, Muratie, Neethlingshof, Overgaauw, Simonsig, Theuniskraal and Twee Jonge Gezellen.
In addition to tastings of wines from that era, the event was characterised by discussion on the evolution of estate status. At its inception, explained Wine and Spirit Board chairman André Matthee, the legislation awarded protection to farms with wines made and grown on their own property.
It was important because it allowed smaller farms to compete by differentiating themselves in an industry dominated by large producers, said Simonsig’s Johan Malan. His father, Frans, had not only been a key instigator of the legislation but also of another important differentiating mechanism – the Stellenbosch Wine Routes, established in 1971.
Furthermore, according to André Matthee, European markets refused to provide tax exemptions unless there was official guarantee for wine of origin and quality.
Up until then, the evolution of the industry had led it to be dominated by large consolidations such as co-operatives and government control boards. The KWV – at the time still an statutory industry regulator – was designated as sole exporter too.
However, by the late 1960s, stirrings against control began. It coincided with demand for wine starting to outstrip supply. Amongst initiatives launched was a band of small wine growers who created the Cape Estate Wine Producers Association in 1968 and lobbied for change.
By 1972, the estate legislation was in place and a year later, the first 14 estates were registered.
The first wine carrying the certification seal – the precursor to Wine of Origin – appeared on the market on 1 September 1973.
Both were a wine buyer’s guarantee of provenance. Three years later, in 1976, Graham Knox published his Estate Wines of South Africa – "the first comprehensive description of the 38 wine estates in South Africa".
His interviews with these pioneers makes for remarkable reading. For example, he notes how, "Consequently [to meetings between wine growers and a government enquiry], between 1970 and 1973, the price of Cabernet Sauvignon, for sale to wine merchants, trebled."
Today, although the legislation has changed over the years, there are 234 wineries officially registered as estates.
"So, we're getting to a stage where it is a paying proposition to grow Cabernet Sauvignon and other noble varieties in large quantities,” Frans Malan is quoted as saying. “It has never been so before, for me, and I think I can speak for the majority of wine farmers."
"And that is what makes the whole point of Estate wines both viable and profitable," he continues.
"The wine drinker will be able to choose between twenty varieties of Riesling, not two or three, as he once had to. This makes both wine-farming and wine-drinking even more interesting. Estates must concentrate on specialised wines. Each farmer must select the vines that are best suited to his soil, his climate, and his method of working, and concentrate on those. I know many have, but it's a long process."
Among the people who took the first bold step towards adopting estate status alongside Frans Malan were Alto's Piet du Toit; Backsberg owner Sydney Back; Groot Constantia cellarmaster Helmie Wagener; Verdun’s Kobie and Kosie Roux; "Stil" Jan Momberg of Middelvlei; Meerendal’s Koos Starke; De Wet Theron of Montpellier; Annemarie Canitz of Muratie; Jan Momberg of Neethlingshof; David van Velden of Overgaauw; Kobus and Rennie Jordaan of Theuniskraal; NC Krone and son, Nicky, of Twee Jonge Gezellen; and Danie de Waal of Uiterwyk.
Graham Knox points out that even large organisations like KWV became involved in were the seeds of today’s "premiumisation" strategy.
"When agitation for Estate wine classification became active in 1969, and it became obvious that, within several years of that time, legislation would be passed to control the activities and functions of estates, the KWV decided to keep wine from several choice farms separate and to market this wine in the estate manner.
“Two of the farms chosen were Vergenoegd and Meerendal. Both had labels designed by the KWV; their wines were not only kept separate from other wines in the KWV cellars, but their cultivar wines were isolated from one another. Consequently, Meerendal Shiraz 1969 and Meerendal Pinotage 1969 were two of the first estate 100 per cent varietal wines to be marketed by the South African wine industry," he writes.
The wineries in the book reflect how widespread the estate concept was adopted across regions – from even its earliest days. The observation was also raised at the Groot Constantia’s event last week.
How effective the status remains today, however, was a point of debate. The reasons for its dilution are varied, in part related to the steep rise in demand linked to the ending of political sanctions in the 1990s. "Planting and waiting for grapes wasn’t feasible," said Johan Malan. "The estate name was also the brand name, so you couldn’t just change things and lose the value of your grape."
Legislation had to follow suit with the requirements of the sector. These days, estate classification remains important to many as registration applications continue to be made to the Wine and Spirit Board. At the same time, the industry has found new ways of reflecting provenance and authenticity through initiatives such as single vineyard classification and the world-first Certified Heritage Vineyard Seal.
Alongside the Wine of Origin Scheme, these are the all-important links between that distant first-time buyer curious about South African wine and the vineyards where it all began.