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Administrative area · South Africa

Cape South Coast

The Wine of Origin region gathering South Africa’s coolest coastal districts, from Elgin round to Cape Agulhas.

Cape South Coast (Wine of Origin region)maritimecool
What to expect in the glass

Cool-climate profiles throughout: savoury Pinot Noir, taut Chardonnay, and herbal, saline Sauvignon Blanc.

About Cape South Coast

Cape South Coast is the Wine of Origin region covering the coolest, most maritime part of the Cape, from Elgin eastwards along the coast to Plettenberg Bay.

It contains Walker Bay and the Hemel-en-Aarde, Elgin, and Cape Agulhas — the last including Elim, the southernmost vineyard on the African continent.

It is where most of South Africa’s cool-climate development has happened since the 1990s, and the wines are consistently fresher and lower in alcohol than those from the traditional inland districts.

What the name means

Legal name
Cape South Coast (Wine of Origin region)
Type
Wine of Origin (WO)
Set by
South African Wine and Spirit Board
Regulates
Origin only. It sets no rules about varieties, yields, ageing or winemaking.

Certified origin, vintage and variety, verified by the Wine and Spirit Board and carried on a seal. It guarantees that the claims on the label are true; it does not prescribe what may be planted or how the wine is made.

Worth knowing

A region-level designation containing the Walker Bay, Elgin, Cape Agulhas, Overberg and Plettenberg Bay districts and wards.

Grapes

Wines from here

red

Hemel-en-Aarde Pinot Noir

Cool Atlantic-influenced Pinot Noir from the valleys behind Hermanus — South Africa’s finest.

white

South African Sauvignon Blanc

Cool coastal Sauvignon from Constantia, Elgin and Durbanville — restrained, flinty and mineral.

What to eat, and how to serve it

Derived from this region’s signature styles. Each is listed separately, because a region does not have one serving temperature.

Hemel-en-Aarde Pinot Noir

Serve at 14–16°C (cellar cool).

Try with fillet steak, grilled chicken or bloomy-rind cheese.

South African Sauvignon Blanc

Serve at 8–10°C (fridge cold).

Try with fillet steak, salmon or asparagus.

Where to go next

Places worth trying if you like this one — neighbours, rivals, and the obvious step across.

  • Walker Bay — A cool coastal district near Hermanus, producing South Africa’s best Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.
  • Elgin — A high plateau apple-growing district that turned to wine in the 1980s, and one of the coolest places in the Cape.
  • Hemel-en-Aarde — A cool valley running inland from the Atlantic at Hermanus, and South Africa’s benchmark for Pinot Noir and Chardonnay.

Sources

Sources consulted