Terroir 2004 banner
IVES 9 IVES Conference Series 9 Geological history and landscape of the Coastal wine-growing region, South Africa

Geological history and landscape of the Coastal wine-growing region, South Africa

Abstract

The geology of the Western Cape testifies to the former existence of a late Precambrian supercontinent, its fragmentation, the closure of an ocean between the South African and South American continental precursors (Kalahari and Rio de la Plata cratons), the accumulation of marine sediments and limestones, and their compression during a collision between these cratons. This event took place during assembly of the southern supercontinent of Gondwana, over 500 million years ago. During the Cambrian the landscape of the western and southern parts of the Cape was eroded to form an alluvial plain with granite hills. From the Ordovician to the Carboniferous this plain intermittently subsided. The resultant Agulhas Sea, which at times extended from Vanrhynsdorp in the north to beyond Port Elizabeth in the east, and which was bordered by mountains to the west and north, received considerable volumes of sediment. These sediments were lifted and folded during the Permo-Triassic Cape Orogeny to form the mountains of the Cape Fold Belt, which are capped with erosion-resistant sandstones, whilst softer shales are locally preserved in downfolds.
After Gondwana rifted, a remnant of the Rio de la Plata craton remained attached to South Africa where it underlies the vineyards of the Coastal Region. Erosion was rapid under the warm, wet conditions which prevailed through much of the Cretaceous. By the end of the Cretaceous the main topographic features of the Coastal Region had already been roughed-out. Sculpting of the landscape into its modern form took place during the Tertiary and Quaternary, a time of sub-aerial erosion, pronounced changes in sea level and climatic variation, tending toward increasing aridity. The form of the modern landscape reflects the abilities of the rock structures and materials to resist protracted weathering and erosion.

Download the PDF

DOI:

Publication date: January 12, 2022

Issue: Terroir 2004

Type: Article

Authors

J. Wooldridge

ARC Infruitec-Nietvoorbij, Private Bag X5026, 7599 Stellenbosch, South Africa

Contact the author

Keywords

Geology, landscape, South Africa, terroir, vineyard, Western Cape, wine

Tags

IVES Conference Series | Terroir 2004

Citation

Related articles…

Applying value proposition design to collective strategic actions in family wineries: enhancing territorial resources in Vale dos Vinhedos, Brazil

The study aims to propose collective strategic actions for family wineries, promoting their competitiveness and the valorization of territorial resources.

Read More

Relationship between terroir and vegetative potential, productivity, yield and must composition of Vitis Vinífera L. Cvs. Cabernet Sauvignon under warm climate conditions

One cultivar could produce distinct wines with typical properties and qualities different depending on its cultivated and its mesoclimatic conditions.

Read More

Valutazione dell’equilibrio vegeto-produttivo con metodiche di proximal sensing

Nel biennio 2008-2009, nell’ambito di un progetto multidisciplinare coordinato e finanziato dal Consorzio Tuscania, 4 vigneti in differenti zone della Toscana sono stati monitorati con strumenti di proximal sensing al fine di valutare la variabilità riscontrabile e ottenere delle indicazioni sulle risposte vegetative delle piante e quanti-qualitative delle produzioni.

Read More

An intra-block study of bunch zone air temperature and its impact on berry and wine attributes

Temperature is a key environmental factor affecting grape primary and secondary metabolites. Even if several mesoscale studies have already been conducted on temperature
especially within a Protected Designation of Origin area, few data are available at an intra-block scale. The present study aimed at i) assessing the variability in bunch zone air temperature within a single vineyard block and the temporal stability of temperature spatial patterns, ii) understanding temperature drivers and
iii) identifying the impact of temperature on grape berry attributes.

Read More

Genotypic differences in early-stage root architectural traits and consequences for water uptake in three grapevine rootstocks differing in drought tolerance

Root architecture (RSA), the spatial-temporal arrangement of a root system in soil, is essential for edaphic resources acquisition by the plant, and thus contributes largely to its productivity and adaptation to environmental stresses, particularly soil water deficit. In grafted grapevine, while the degree of drought tolerance induced by the rootstock has been well documented in the vineyard, information about the underlying physiological processes, particularly at the root level, is scarce, due to the inherent difficulties in observing large root systems in situ. The aims of this study were (i) to determine the phenotypic differences in traits related to root distribution and morphology along the substrate profile in different Vitis rootstocks during early growth, (ii) to assess the plasticity of these traits to soil water deficit and (iii) to quantify their relationships with plant water uptake.

Read More