This document summarizes information about South African and Spanish wines. It outlines the main red and white grape varieties grown in South Africa, including Pinotage, Chenin Blanc, and Sauvignon Blanc. It also lists some of the primary wine regions and exemplar wines of South Africa. For Spanish wines, it identifies Tempranillo, Grenache, and Carignan as important red grape varieties and discusses the characteristic styles and flavors of wines made from each variety, noting key Spanish wine growing regions like Rioja and Ribera del Duero.

1. SOUTH AFRICAN WINES
• South African Red Grape Varieties :
Pinotage, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon.
• South African White Grape Varieties : Sauvignon Blanc,
Chardonnay, Chenin Blanc.
• Key Regions : Stellenbosch, Constancia, Robertson,
Walker Bay.
• Key Wines : Beyerskloof Pinotage, Cordoba Merlot
Stellenbosch, Vergelen Cabernet Sauvignon.
• Characteristics of South African : elegant, complex,
similar in style to French wines with more fruit flavours.

3. Cherry
Plum
Rose
MERLOT
Merlot gives soft, undemanding, easy-todrink wines with soft
tannins.The best quality merlot tend to follow one of two styles
• International Style : Some are made from grapes that are
harvested as late as to generate the maximum degree of
purple colour, blackberry and plum fruit, and soft,
velvet-textured tannins, combined with a rich, full body due
to high alcohol and concentrated fruit.
• Bordeaux Style :The other approach is to harvest earlier
and make a wine with lighter body and alcohol, but with
higher acidity and more of a red fruit character (
raspberries, strawberries ) and even some vegetal flavours.
The South African Merlot is capable of producing very
dark, plummy wines,that are similar to Bordeaux style
.
Key regions : Stellenbosch
Key wines : Cordoba, Meerlust.

4. PINOTAGE
THIS IS THE FLAGSHIP OF
SOUTH AFRICA.
This grape variety creates wines in a
range of styles. It is sometimes blended
with international varieties, as a part of a
Cape Blend.
On its own, typical Pinotage has a red
berry fruit character, full bodied, with
wich, spiced, berry fruit.
Key South African Regions : Stellenbosch
Key wines : Beyerkloof
Blackberries
Spices
Pepper

5. CHENIN BLANC
The most planted vine of South Africa. It is
capable of producing a broad range of wines
from the bone-dry to great sweet wines. Wines made from
Chenin Blanc tend to be high in acidity, with some vegetal
notes, aromas of green apples and flavours of citrus notes.
Late harvested sweet versions can have powerful aromas
of exotic fruit flavours, pineapple, and their intense sweetness
will be balanced by high acidity.
Key South African Regions : Stellenbosch
Key wines : Steen Op Hout
Flowers
Nuts
Peach

6. South African Sauvignon Blanc
Sauvignon Blanc in South Africa is also
grown with great success, showing a range
of possible styles. Some are light, crisp and full
of the grassy varietal character. Others take advantage
of oak to supply strucuture and complexity, and are able to
develop nutty and vegetal flavours in the bottle.
Key South African Regions :Constancia.
Key Wines : Steenberg, Buitenverwachting.
Apple
Grass
Asparagus

7. SPANISH WINES
• Red Spanish grape varieties : Tempranillo,
Carignan, Mourvèdre, Grenache.
• White Spanish grape varieties : Parellada,
Macabeo, Chardonnay.
• Key regions : Penedes, Rioja, Ribera del
Duero, Somontano, Navarra, Catalunya.
• Key wines : cabernet sauvignon from
Penedes, Chardonnay from Somontano

8. SPANISH WINE GROWING REGIONS

9. Grenache
Blackberries
Spices
Herbs
A strong grape variety for red wine that
supports extrem heat. The grape has a thin
skin with little colour in it, which makes it very
suitable for producing rosé. The grape is ripening
slowly and thus develop a high level of sugar.
The wines are high
in alcohol, very fruity, almost sweet taste. It tastes
black berry and some pepper notes.
Key Regions : Rioja, Navarra.
Key Wines : Sangre de Toro Torres

10. Carignan
Deeply colour wines, powerful with strong tannins. Usually
used as a blend, it brings some power and Character
to the wine. It ripens quite late, so can only be grown
in warm to hot climates. It gives wines that are high in acidity,
tannin and colour.
Key Regions : Catalunya
Key Wines : Torres Sangre del Torro
Pepper
Plum
Black pepper

11. TEMPRANILLO
Strawberries
Spices
Dried Fruit
Tempranillo takes its name from the Spanish word
Tremprano, which means early, and its great
advantage is that it is early ripening. The wines are
low in acidity, tastes strawberry, spices and it shows its best
when blended with other varieties.
Key Regions : Rioja, Navarra.
Key Wines : Coronas Torres