Statistics

For all relevant SA wine industry statistics, go to www.sawis.co.za.

• Currently 99 463 hectares of vines producing wine grapes are under cultivation in South Africa over an area some 800 kilometres in length. White varieties constitute 54.6% of the plantings for wine, with Chenin Blanc comprising 18.0% of the total. Red-wine varieties account for 45.4% of the national vineyard. The most widely planted red variety is Cabernet Sauvignon, accounting for 11.5% of the total. Shiraz accounts for 10.5%, while Merlot accounts for 6.1% and Pinotage, which is indigenous to South Africa, represents 7.4%. The local wine industry continues to re-align its vineyard offering in line with international trends.
• According to a study, commissioned by the SA Wine Industry Information & Systems (SAWIS) and published in January 2015, some 300 000 people were employed both directly and indirectly in the wine industry in 2015, including farm labourers, those involved in packaging, retailing and wine tourism. The study also concluded that of the R36.1 billion gross domestic product (GDP) contributed by the wine industry to the regional economy, about R19.3 billion eventually would remain in the Western Cape to the benefit of its residents. Access the Final Report – Macroeconomic Impact of the Wine Industry on the South African Economy here
• Growth in contribution to the GDP has been at least 10% per annum since 2003.
• In terms of world wine production, South Africa ranks as number seven in overall volume production of wine and produces 4.2% of the world's wine (2014).
• Of the country's total annual harvest of 1 181.9 m litres in 2014, 81.2% was devoted to the making of wine, 4.5% to wine for brandy, 11.3% to distilling wine and 3.0% to grape juice concentrate and grape juice.
• Exports of natural (i.e. non-fortified) packaged wines for the 2014 calendar year reached 173.4 m litres, a decrease of 1.3% on the previous year. Red wine exports decreased by 14.9% to account for 39.8% of all natural wines exported.
• Total exports of wine increased by 26.0% to 525.6 m litres in 2013 and decreased to 422.7 m litres in 2014.