Garage Winemaking in South Africa Less is More - Cape Wine ...

2 The Red Tape
The amount of paperwork may seem daunting at first, but rest assured, most of
the organizations to be dealt with have superb websites with a mine of information. I
have summarized the mandatory topics first, a liquor license and a South African
Revenue Service (SARS) manufacturing license. In order for your wine to state
origin, variety and vintage on the label, registering with the South African Wine
Industry Information and Systems (SAWIS) for wine certification is mandatory. To
use the new certification seal which takes sustainability into account, you must be an
Integrated Production of Wine (IPW) member as well. Not mandatory but good
practices are The Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI) and Ethical Trading. Wines
of South Africa (WOSA), The Department of Agriculture (DA), and The Department
of Trade and Industry (DTI) all become important if you want to export. We end the
red tape section with some information on registering your new and exciting wine
brand.
Liquor License
Anyone wishing to manufacture or distribute wine needs a liquor license from the
Provincial government. The easiest and most straightforward way to obtain a license
is to use a lawyer. The change in the law with regard to small wine producers, as
proposed by the new National Liquor Act No 59 of 2003, has not yet been
implemented in the Western Cape and will only be implemented once the new
Western Cape Liquor Act is brought into effect. This Act has been approved by the
Western Cape Parliament, but is now subject to certain proposed amendments. In
the meantime the old Liquor Act (Act 27 of 1989) continues to regulate the small
wine production industry. Applications for licences are conducted under the category
of Special Licence (off - consumption) or Producer's Licence; these licences will be
converted to a registration as a micro-producer, once the new Act is implemented.
Our fees and disbursements for such a licence application (on the basis that there
are no objections and that the police report is favourable) usually amounts to
approximately R12 000.00. However, should a commercial sales and tasting facility
be intended, the zoning of the premises may have to be adjusted as well. 18
To proceed yourself, application forms (FORM 1) are available at the South
African Library in Cape Town. Alternatively you can buy the regulations published in
terms of the Liquor Act, which contain FORM 1. This application form comes in
triplicate, with the original, a copy for the Designated Police Officer (DPO) and a
copy for the Liquor Board. Include details to support your application, such as proof
of occupation. Also include details of the premises, such as colour photographs or a
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