According to the South African Wine Industry Information Systems (SAWIS), South Africa’s wine industry is a key economic driver of the country’s Gross Domestic Product. In actual fact, its expanding contribution per annum amounts to 36 billion rands, and employs about 300 000 people both directly and indirectly.
Historically the country’s wine industry has advanced ever since its first grapes were harvested in the 1600s. Its picturesque mountains, native vegetation and lush gardens, fertile vines and amazing weather for vegetation has ensured that Cape Town, South Africa is the location to some of the world’s most breathtaking wine farms.
In recent years, Cape winemakers have displayed their finesse and skill, and have defined themselves as some of the best producers of consumer wines globally. According to Charles Withington, a writer of The South African online platform, South African wines have grown more in quality and recognition in the last 25 years and are equal to the best in the world as declared by more than one international wine expert.
The Diemersdal Estate has been in existence for more than 12 decades, making it one of Cape Town’s oldest wine regions. This month it became the first wine farm in the Durbanville wine region to achieve World Wide Fund (WWF) Conservation Champion status. It received this official status after numerous thorough and rigorous audits by WWF field officers. The WWF Conservation Champions represented by 45 Cape wine farms, showcases the extraordinary measures South African winegrowers execute to safeguard and conserve the unique natural environment in and around their farms.
According to Shelly Fuller, the WWF South Africa’s sustainable Programme Manager for fruit and wine, the wine industry’s Conservation Champions is an accolade that is truly revolutionary in their pioneering ways of handling farming practices, while proactively preserving the natural environment. She further notes that this spirit of innovation and respect of their land is a truly distinctive feature of the Cape winelands, and has the potential of cementing South Africa as one of the top wine countries in the world as far as sustainability and preservation is concerned.
