South African Wine Harvest Report 2007
Cool growing season produces exciting red and white wines - compiled by SAWIS (PDF file)

Cape Winemakers Guild Harvest Review 2007
A challenging year with spots of excellence

The 2007 harvest 15th vintage at Jordan
“A vintage of weather diversity – the Harvest of All Seasons”, states Gary Jordan

Harvest looking very promising, says Distell
Good growing conditions that preceded the current harvest have so far helped this year’s wine grape crops destined for Distell wines to not only weather some unusual conditions but to produce generally outstanding quality grapes. This is according to the company’s chief viticulturist, Dirk Bosman.

Celebrating a great harvest at Klein Constantia
Klein Constantia celebrated what winemaker Adam Mason described as “the best harvest in recent years” with a slap-up lunch for everyone involved, from vineyard and contract workers to office staff, cleaners to management.

Warmer Areas Mostly Wrapped Up
The Cape’s regional diversity shows as harvest is over in some spots, while others still put pickers through their paces. Kim Maxwell asks about quality in Durbanville, Stellenbosch,Vredendal, Elgin, Robertson and Paarl.

Decrease in grape harvest
The 2007 wine grape harvest, in full swing at the moment, should be completed earlier than the norm, which means the SA wines will be the first of the 2007 vintage to hit Europe for summer.

Harvest 5 - Picking and Pressing at Height or Unlikely Places
While much of the Western Cape’s cellars are past the halfway mark, Kim Maxwell wondered how vines are progressing in less usual locations, and discovered submarine oenology en route.


Full Beam Ahead in Tulbagh and Swartland
As night beams are regularly recharged in Tulbagh, cooler February temperatures have brough relief in some parts of Darling, reports Kim Maxwell.

Jordan Harvest Blog
View what is happening in the Jordan Vineyards this harvest.

Handheld footage of Vilafonte harvest promises to inform and entertain
Vilafonté Vineyards, the first high-end joint venture between American and South African vintners, is launching ground-breaking ‘Reality Harvest TV’ in the form of a daily harvest video which will be released exclusively for online viewing.

Stellenbosch Temperatures Soar
Soaring temperatures during the week of January 22nd brought early harvest activity in the Stellenbosch area, although other regions are mostly sitting tight for still wines. Then temperatures cooled dramatically on Monday January 29th, with a light drizzle or grey clouds draping much of the Boland. This week’s outlook suggests temperatures should rise into the mid-thirties, reports Kim Maxwell.

Cool summer and wet winter bode well for exceptional harvest
A cool start to summer and sufficient winter rain have set favourable foundations for vintage 2007. Disease-free vineyards and moisture-rich soils are the product of optimum weather throughout 2006, according to PD Koegelenberg, ‘the company of wine people’s™’ viticulturist.

Producers Dreams Go Barrel Up
Wine barrel cargo from a damaged container ship lands local producers and suppliers in trouble, while temperatures speed up harvest action, reports Kim Maxwell.

A Fizzy Start
The Cape's 2007 harvest fizzes with plenty of bubbly base wines in the making, the bulk of the picking in Robertson. Kim Maxwell reports on what appears to be a healthy vintage.

2007 Wine grape harvest - bigger harvest than in 2006 expected
The 2007 wine grape harvest is estimated at 1,335,050 ton according to the industry’s estimate from producer cellars and viticulturists as at 24 November 2006. This is 2,8 per cent more than the 2006 grape harvest.