• Currently 100 568 hectares of vines producing wine grapes are under cultivation in South Africa over an area some 800 kilometres in length. White varietals constitute 55.6% of the plantings for wine, with Chenin Blanc plantings comprising 18.2% of the total. Red varietals account for 44.4% of the national vineyard. The most widely planted red varietal is Cabernet Sauvignon, accounting for 12.0% of the total. Shiraz accounts for 10.3%, while Merlot accounts for 6.4% and Pinotage, which is indigenous to South Africa, represents 6.5%. 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 December 2009, some 275 606 people were employed both directly and indirectly in the wine industry in 2008, including farm labourers, those involved in packaging, retailing and wine tourism. The study also concluded that of the R26.2 billion gross domestic product (GDP) contributed by the wine industry to the regional economy, some R4.3 billion was generated indirectly through wine-tourism activities centred in the winelands. About R14.2 billion eventually would remain in the Western Cape to the benefit of its residents.
• 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 eight in overall volume production of wine and produces 3.8% of the world's wine (2011).
• Of the country's total annual harvest of 1 012.8 m litres in 2011, 82.0% was devoted to the making of wine, 3.3% to wine for brandy, 10.5% to distilling wine and 3.9% to grape juice concentrate and grape juice. Of the country's estimated total annual harvest of  1 083.5 m litres in 2012, 78% was devoted to the making of wine, 5.7% to wine for brandy, 12.5% to distilling wine and 3.6% to grape juice concentrate and grape juice.
• Exports of natural (i.e. non-fortified) packaged wines for the 2011 calendar year reached 177.8m litres, a decrease of 20% on the previous year. Red wine exports decreased by 7.9% to account for 48.3% of all natural wines exported.
  

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SAWIS STATISTICS OF WINE-GRAPE VINES
South African wine grape vineyards over the past decade (2000–2010)