The impact of Swartland’s geology on wine styles: A map-based analysis

The majority of the Swartland area has a soil clay percentage of less than 15%. The western side of Swartland, above Malmesbury and the R45, has a clay percentage ranging from 15% to 35%.

The Malmesbury Group formation encompasses the mountainous area from Cape Town to Piketberg, comprising materials such as greywacke and phyllite, with beds and lenses of quartz schist, limestone, and grit. This formation occur in pockets as foothills and lower lying undulating hills around Malmesbury, Riebeek mountain, Moorreesburg and Piketberg. The origin of the Malmesbury group is overwhelmingly marine. This substrate provides the Province’s best soils for wheat, deciduous fruit and vineyards (Morkel, 1998)

The shale-based soils found around Malmesbury were fused by Magma from deep within the earth. As it cooled down over time, it crystallised into granite rocks and hills. Only later, with the separation of the continents, the surface was forced to subside, and some areas were covered from the north with very deep deposits of sandstone from the Cape Supergroup.

Under the Paardeberg Granite Formations, big dolerite boulders are found, and most of Paardeberg is just a pure granite outcrop of up to 700 meters. The Kasteelberg and Piketberg are significant sandstone remnants, ranging in altitude from 1000 to 1300 meters. The ranges of shale based in hills like Malmesbury and Porseleinberg mainly rise to an altitude of 200 – 400 meters.

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Order your copy of this map printed A1 size for R650-00, courier included to anywhere in South Africa. Please contact Jolene Janse van Rensburg for payment details. Email: swartlandinfo@westc.co.za