Whether you prefer your wine in a whiter shade of pale or a plum hue, it's never in short supply locally. South Africa, synonymous with a good glass of wine, produces loads of it. If you don't believe us, then consider the following stats.

Three centuries of winemaking

Whenever the world's finest wines are mention, you can be assured that the name Constantia pops up. This is not surprising, since it was one of the very first vineyards initiated by Jan van Riebeeck and later Simon van der Stel more than 300 years ago.

But essentially we have the French Huguenots to thank as the viticulture skills of the Dutch were quite pale in comparison. After settling at the Cape between 1680 and 1690 the Huguenots had to adapt their well-honed winemaking techniques to new conditions - and thankfully it has left an indelible impression on South Africa's world-famous wine industry.

Flourishing along the grapevine

We are responsible for 3.1% of the world's wine and rank as number nine in overall volume production. The 2007 harvest is estimated at 736,9-million litres, of which we exported 313, 8-million. Has your head begun to sway yet?

The United Kingdom is our biggest fan (34 percent of export) when it comes to SA wines - who knows, a South African cultivar might just have inspired UB40's hit "Red, red wine..."

The Netherlands (14 percent), Sweden (10 percent) and Germany (eight percent) follow in hot pursuit. If you're worried that all the good stuff is headed off-shore take heart that production was up by 27,2-million litres from the 2006 figure of 709,7-million litres.

Vines and Valleys

The Western Cape is at the heart of our wine-producing regions. There are four main regions – Breede River Valley, Coastal, Little Karoo and Olifants River. That means it's not only Capetonians who get to enjoy the wonders of the vineyard. A total of 21 diverse districts and a 61 smaller wards make up these regions.

In 2006 we had 102 146 hectares under vines for wine production and in the same year a total of 3 057 hectares was used for new vine plantings. Of these new vines, 82 percent is white and 18 percent is red. The largest percentage of white cultivar being grown locally is Chenin at 19 percent, while the obvious winner in the red cultivar production category is Cabinet at 8 percent.

Knowing your origins

As in Europe, certain areas and farms are well-known for wines with their own distinct character. Locally, consider Constantia and internationally there's Tuscany. South Africa was a bit late in developing a protection scheme for its distinctive wines, subsequently it only officially instituted a South Africa's Wine of Origin certification scheme in 1973.

 Soil diversity

The South African winelands is made up of some of the oldest viticultural soils in the world, traceable back to the first super continent some 1 000 million years ago. The constant interplay between these ancient soils, soaring mountains, valley slopes and coastal breezes results in a natural environment exceptional in its biodiversity.

It's fruits are virtually on your doorstep, making it the perfect excuse to enjoy a wine-tasting adventure.

Savour the Winelands with these great deals.