Prestige Wine Group - Around The World Wines

Two significant developments in the South African wine industry in the last decade have helped them develop into a world class wine making region.

ABOLISHMENT OF THE KWV: It was not long ago (1992) that the Co-Operative Wine Farmers Association (KWV) had complete control over the wine production in South Africa. South African wine production was regulated and limited by “quotas” implemented by the KWV. This prevented the development of new growing regions with high wine quality potential. After 74 years, the KWV’s quotas and regulatory functions were abolished, allowing for tremendous improvements in vineyards and wine quality, as well as opening up exciting new regions to be developed. This ultimately allowed for more exportation of South African wines throughout the world.

INTEGRATED PRODUCTION OF WINE: The abolition of the KWV’s regulatory function opened the door for South Africa’s current control system, the Integrated Production of Wine (IPW). This system was implemented in 1998 to ensure that strict guidelines were followed to up hold a level of quality. This system affects everything from the vineyards, to the bottling of the product. It is specifically aimed at producing wines through sustainable agriculture. This has been proven to help the environment as well as the longevity of a growing region. 99% of all wine grape production is encompassed by the IPW.