Wine region
Olifants River
Olifants River is a wine region in South Africa, home to 17 wineries, producing red, rose, white wines, known for Citrusdal Mountain, Vredendal.
On this page
Olifants River's 17 wineries lean white but make plenty of red too; Chenin Blanc is the most common single-grape bottling; wines carry WO designation.
Most common single-grape wines
When Olifants River wines are made from a single grape (rather than a blend), these are the most common:
- Chenin Blanc
- 6 single-grape wines
- Pinotage
- 4 single-grape wines
- Cabernet Sauvignon
- 1 single-grape wine
- Chardonnay
- 1 single-grape wine
- Pinot Noir
- 1 single-grape wine
- Sauvignon Blanc
- 1 single-grape wine
Wine profile
Olifants River leans white (about 55% of its wines) but makes meaningful red too.
82 distinct Olifants River wines tracked, spanning the colours and styles below.
- White45 · 55%
- Red35 · 43%
- Rose2 · 2%
Types: Still.
Representative Olifants River wines
Selected from stable product-to-region relationships for diversity — not a claim that these are the region's best wines.
- Cederberg — Shiraz
- Ken Forrester — Stagmanskop Chenin Blanc
- Ken Forrester — Dirty Little Secret One
- Tierhoek — Piekeniers Blanc
- Vino PH — Palomino
- Kruger Family Wines — Klipkop Chardonnay
- Tierhoek — Reserve Chenin Blanc
- Fram — Cinsault
Sub-regions & appellations
Within Olifants River, these appellationsA legally-defined smaller growing area within a wine region, often with its own grapes and rules. are smaller growing areas, often with their own character:
- Piekenierskloof
- Citrusdal Mountain
- Vredendal
Quality designations
Wines here carry WO status — a controlled quality designation.
- WOWine of Origin — South Africa's certification of where a wine's grapes were grown.
South Africa wine designations
- WO
- Wine of Origin identifies a South African wine whose stated production area is certified under the statutory Wine of Origin Scheme.
Understanding the wine data
- Designation
- The protected-origin or administrative category associated with the wine, interpreted using country-aware rules. The same abbreviation can mean different things in different countries, so we only show the meaning approved for that country.
How this ranking is built
Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
How to choose a good Olifants River wine
Look for the WO designation — it signals a controlled-origin Olifants River wine.
FAQs
- What do the designation terms on Olifants River wines mean?
- WO: Wine of Origin identifies a South African wine whose stated production area is certified under the statutory Wine of Origin Scheme. These terms describe geographical or regulatory categories; they do not by themselves guarantee that one producer or bottle is better than another.
- How are wineries and producers selected for Olifants River?
- Producers are included when WhatDrink has a canonical producer-to-region relationship supported by the catalogue data. Display order may use represented wine count and relationship confidence to provide useful coverage; it is not a ranking of winery quality, prestige, production volume or critical acclaim.
- How are representative Olifants River wines selected?
- Representative wines are selected from products with a stable relationship to this region, with preference for clear producer identity and a useful spread of producers, wine styles and designations. Inclusion is not an editorial score and does not mean these are the region’s best wines.
- How much wine data does WhatDrink have for Olifants River?
- The current regional catalogue contains 82 linked wines from 17 linked producers. Counts describe WhatDrink catalogue coverage and may change as source data is refreshed.
Regional data is aggregated from wine directory and product-catalogue sources; grape and style associations reflect characteristic varieties and may vary by producer and vintage.