CULTIVATING SUSTAINABLE RESILIENCE

Rain-fed resilience. Water stewardship. Distinctive wines.

The Dry-Farmed Collective is dedicated to protecting, promoting, and nurturing dry-farmed vineyards and the people who sustain them, preserving a vital part of South Africa’s wine landscape.

Water scarcity and climate volatility demand urgent adaptation. Dry-farming is an approach that conserves water, strengthens vineyard resilience, and produces distinctive wines with a strong sense of place.

South Africa is home to several producers who have embraced dry-farming. These producers rely solely on rainfall to produce wines that are sustainable and expressive of their terroir. These wines are valued for their concentration, complexity, depth of flavour, and ability to reflect both landscape and vintage with honesty and distinction.

Education

There is a huge need to improve the knowledge base of managing Dry-Farmed units to maximise return on investment for the producer and to upskill the vineyard teams.

Unlocking value

Area under vineyard is rapidly reducing. Only 12% of South Africa’s vineyards are dry-farmed today. Joining forces allows us to protect and grow sustainable farming practices, and prevent further loss of vineyards.

Authenticity

Dry-farmed wines naturally reflect terroir, vintage, and heritage with purity.

Climate Change

Droughts are becoming more frequent and severe. Dry-farming is a solution that conserves water while producing distinctive wines of depth and quality.

WHAT DRIVES US?

The Dry-Farmed Collective is a community of growers, producers, researchers, and advocates committed to dry-farming. Our mission is to support, protect, promote, and grow dry-farmed vineyards and the people who care for them through advocacy, education, research, and collective awareness.

Legacy

Dry-Farmed vineyards age well and many are over 20–35 years old, representing cultural and agricultural heritage worth protecting.

OUR PARTNERS

DRY-FARMING

Dry-farming refers to cultivating vines without irrigation, relying instead on stored soil moisture from seasonal rainfall. For centuries, this approach has produced some of the world’s most distinctive wines. Today, as global temperatures rise and water resources are under pressure, dry-farming can be viewed as a cornerstone of sustainable viticulture.

WHAT MAKES DRY-FARMING UNIQUE

CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Deeper root systems allow vines to access minerals and moisture naturally, creating resilience in drought-prone conditions.

AUTHENTICITY & TERROIR

Dry-farmed wines can express vintage and place with exceptional clarity.

CLIMATE RESILIENCE

Deeper root systems allow vines to access minerals and moisture naturally, creating resilience in drought-prone conditions.

Heritage vineyards

Many dry-farmed vineyards are over 20 years old, representing irreplaceable agricultural and cultural heritage.

HIGHLY IRRIGATED

Larger yield, larger berries, more water, less concentrated flavour.

Shallow roots clustered near the drip lines.

DRY-
FARMED

Less yield, smaller berries, thicker skins, more concentrated juice.

Very deep roots spreading downwards, searching for underground water.

DRY-FARMING IN SOUTH AFRICA

South Africa’s dry-farmed vineyards cover 10 760 hectares and represent 12% of the national vineyard area.

Varieties of dry-farmed vineyards IN HECTARES

Dry-farmed vineyard regions

IN HECTARES

CHENIN BLANC 2 166,08

SAUVIGNON BLANC 1 573,57

CABERNET SAUVIGNON 1 403,84

SHIRAZ 1 247,61

PINOTAGE 1 232,84

MERLOT 548,86

CINSAUT 479,44

CHARDONNAY 427,85

GRENACHE (RED) 189,85

SEMILLON 162,48

PINOT NOIR 158,37

MATARO 111,59

OTHER 1 057,92

NORTHERN CAPE 43,16

OLIFANTS RIVER 579,87

SWARTLAND 4 554,04

KLEIN KAROO 42,77

PAARL 2 480,03

ROBERTSON 194,03

STELLENBOSCH 1 454,68

WORCESTER 16,59

BREEDEKLOOF 66,29

CAPE SOUTH COAST 230,23

CAPE TOWN 1 098,61

Membership

We welcome:

The Collective undertakes to:

Educate and train vineyard teams.
Work with farmers to develop new vineyard practices that enable future dry-farming.
Build research partnerships to advance sustainable viticulture.
Market and promote dry-farmed wines globally.
Create a collaborative platform to amplify voices and shape policy.

code of conduct

Sustainability: Upholding practices that conserve water, soil and ecosystems.

Integrity: Producing and marketing wines that truthfully represent dry-farmed origins.

Collaboration: Sharing knowledge and resources for the greater good

Respect: Values vineyard workers and heritage vineyards.

Promotion: Actively champion dry-farmed wines locally and internationally.

Together, we can ensure that rain-fed resilience, sustained by committed growers, producers and vineyard teams, becomes a defining signature of South African wine.