Vineyard and cellar records for South African wine farms
Winery and vineyard management software for South African wine farms
A Cape cellar that crushes its own grapes keeps a press register at harvest, a wine record through the year, monthly figures for SAWIS and, if it sells certified wine, a paper trail the Wine of Origin inspectors can follow. GrapeFlow holds the vineyard and cellar side of that trail in one browser app. 99 USD/month for the whole farm, 90-day free trial, no credit card required.
- 90-day free trial
- No credit card required
- No per-user fees
What GrapeFlow does on a wine farm
Blocks and the spray diary
Cultivar, hectares and planting year per block, with phenology, ripeness samples and field notes. Each application logs product, active ingredient, rate, area, re-entry interval and withholding period, printable on request.
Intake at the weighbridge
Weigh tickets booked against the block they came from. A load picked before its withholding period has run out is flagged when it reaches the cellar.
Cellar work by lot
Tanks, barrels and other vessels; transfers, blends, additions, ferment readings and lab analyses in litres; bottling runs and bottled stock.
Block-to-bottle trace
A PDF recall report lists every bottling and product made from a lot, and a public QR page can be printed for each bottled lot. Downy and powdery mildew risk per block comes from modelled weather, as a decision aid.
What a winery in South Africa must record
The registers below come from the SAWIS statutory measures, the Wine of Origin Scheme and the Integrated Production of Wine Scheme, both made under the Liquor Products Act 60 of 1989. Where a column says the text sets no period, we found none in the clause itself; ask SAWIS before you discard anything.
| Record | Legal basis | What it must contain | How long to keep it | Who checks |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| SAWIS records | Returns statutory measure, cl. 6 — GN 3714 of 2025 under the Marketing of Agricultural Products Act 47 of 1996 | Vines, grapes, and the juice, concentrate and drinking, industrial or distilling wine produced, received, stored, sold, exported or otherwise used. Kept on a computer system or by hand in ink in a record book. | At least three years, at your registered premises | SAWIS, which administers the measure |
| Press register | Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 16 — GN R.1434 of 1990 | In duplicate, on a register the Authority has approved: the grapes pressed each working day, the total mass for the day and, before any combining, the mass of each cultivar or production area, weighed on a calibrated apparatus. Grapes pressed under different authorities go on separate pages. | At the pressing premises until the wine has been certified or sold; originals go to the Authority on request | The certifying Authority, through SAWIS inspectors |
| Production sheet | Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 15(5) and 17 | Issued with each authority to press. It carries the particulars of that pressing and of every addition, removal or treatment made to the must or wine. | No period stated in the clause | The certifying Authority |
| Wine record | Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 16(1)(e) and 17(1) | The must, sweet reserve and wine made from the grapes pressed. For each substance added or treatment applied: supplier name and address, what the substance is, quantity bought, supplier batch or lot number, delivery date, quantity used and date of use. | No period stated in the clause | The certifying Authority |
| Stock sheet and blending and bottling sheet | Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 19, 20 and 22 | Transfers between premises (entered by both the sending and the receiving cellar), approved blends, and the bottling particulars of each working day. Containers are identified straight after bottling with the sheet reference and bottling date, or another approved method. | No period stated in the clauses | The certifying Authority |
| IPW report form | Integrated Production of Wine Scheme cl. 6(b) and 7 — GN R.1413 of 1998 | The management and operation of the registered farm or cellar, on the form the Authority issues. Returned by the date the Authority sets when it issues the form. | No period stated in the clause | The Authority and independent IPW auditors |
| Harmful chemicals register | IPW farm guidelines, Annexure 1 para. 12.1.3 — GN R.1413 of 1998 | Supplies, use and disposal of harmful chemicals, which must sit in a separate, locked store. | No period stated in the guideline | IPW auditors |
Timing: unless the Scheme says otherwise, an entry on the press register, production sheet, wine record, stock sheet or blending and bottling sheet is due no later than the working day after the act it records (Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 29). The IPW report form follows the same next-working-day rule. Under section 18 of the Act, an officer may enter at any reasonable time without notice, take samples and copy any book or document.
The compliance year, from registration to export
Each step names the deadline as the text states it. Notice periods for the Wine of Origin Scheme apply to wine you intend to certify.
Register with SAWIS within 30 days of becoming a grape producer, wine producer, bottler or exporter. A farm that grows grapes and also makes wine registers both ways, as a grape producer and as a wine producer (GN 3714 of 2025, cl. 5).
At least 30 days before pressing: apply for authority to press each lot of grapes meant for certification. The Board grants it only once a vineyard status return has been lodged for those grapes, and separate applications are needed where the same cellar presses wines for different certified particulars (Scheme cl. 15).
At least one working day before pressing starts: notify the Authority with the production sheet reference, start date, cultivar, pressing address and any planned combining of cultivars or areas (cl. 16).
Every working day of harvest: fill in the press register and weigh each cultivar or area before combining. Entries are due by the next working day (cl. 16 and 29).
Every month, within 15 days of month-end: render the SAWIS return on the SAWIS forms or on sawisonline.co.za (GN 3714 of 2025, cl. 6).
Within 60 days of the month of delivery: pay the research, development and information levy on drinking wine you sold in containers of 5 litres or less. For 2026 it is 10.09 cents per litre, rising each year to 2029 (cl. 7).
Before moving or blending wine: seven working days’ notice for a transfer between premises, three working days for a blend, both on the Authority’s forms (cl. 19 and 20).
Three working days before bottling: notify the tank, volume, container size and bottling address; five working days before you need it, apply for provisional approval so the Authority can sample the wine (cl. 22 and 25).
When you ship: an export certificate from the Department of Agriculture first, then notice of loading on Wine Online 48 hours ahead and the declaration of loading within 72 hours after (Act s. 17; WOSA export manual).
Inspections and certification: what the auditor asks to see
Four checks matter to most South African cellars that sell bottled wine. For each one, here is what is examined and which part of it GrapeFlow’s records can show.
Wine of Origin certification
SAWIS inspects on site and draws samples for the Wine and Spirit Board, now described as the Wine Certification Authority. A wine is certified only if it was registered with SAWIS at harvest and recorded and inspected throughout; it must pass a sensory tasting, a chemical analysis and label approval, and each bottle gets a seal code number. Cultivar and vintage claims need 85% of that cultivar or vintage; an origin claim needs 100% of the grapes from the demarcated area. GrapeFlow shows: each lot’s blocks, cultivars and vintage, its blends, additions, analyses and bottling runs.
IPW and the integrity & sustainability seal
The Integrated Production of Wine scheme is voluntary and has run since 1998; independent auditors audit the farms and cellars. Wine certified under both Wine of Origin and IPW can carry the joint seal, whose number traces the bottle back to the IPW practices in the vineyard. GrapeFlow shows: every spray application by block and date with rate and withholding period, plus the cellar records behind the lot.
Export certificate and sample approval
No wine leaves the country without an export certificate. The Authority must find the wine suitable for export, from a sensory judgement of its sample, and labels on retail packs must comply with the Act. A bottled wine’s sensory clearance lasts 12 to 18 months; bulk wine has only 42 days. GrapeFlow shows: the lot, its volume, analyses and origin. It issues no certificate and connects to no export system.
WIETA ethical trade audit
WIETA audits members against 13 principles covering labour, working hours and pay, housing and tenure, health and safety and environmental stewardship. GrapeFlow keeps no payroll or staff records, so this audit stays entirely with you and your HR files.
Where GrapeFlow fits, and where it stops
GrapeFlow holds working records in its own format. It submits nothing to SAWIS, the Authority, IPW or the Department, and is affiliated with none of them.
| Obligation | What GrapeFlow keeps | What stays with you |
|---|---|---|
| Monthly SAWIS return | Grape intake by block, volumes per vessel and lot, transfers, blends and bottled stock to compile it from. | Completing the return on the SAWIS forms or online, and keeping your own copy for three years. |
| Press register and production sheet | Weigh tickets per block with dates and masses, the source of the daily totals. | The approved register itself, in duplicate, and the notices to the Authority. |
| Wine record of additions | Each addition by lot, with date and quantity. | Supplier names, addresses and batch numbers if you do not enter them, and the Authority’s permissions. |
| Agricultural remedies — Act 36 of 1947 | Product, active ingredient, rate and area per application, and a withholding-period check at intake. | Using each remedy only for the purpose and in the manner on its label (GN R.1716 of 1991), and checking its registration. |
| IPW evaluation | The spray diary and cellar history an auditor samples. | The report form, the chemicals store and register, and the audit itself. |
| Wine of Origin and export | Origin, cultivar and vintage history per lot, and a recall report. | Applications, samples, seals, labels, the export certificate and Wine Online. |
Built for South African wine farms that make their own wine
The fit is closest for a family wine farm or boutique cellar in the Coastal Region, Breede River Valley, Cape South Coast or Olifants River that grows its own grapes and presses on site. Such a farm is registered with SAWIS twice, as grape producer and as wine producer, and its press register and SAWIS records both start at the weighbridge. Co-operative cellars buying from many members and bulk traders are not our focus.
Harvest normally runs from February into April. Blocks are measured in hectares, grapes in tonnes and wine in litres, the same units the SAWIS levies are set in; sugar in the industry is quoted in degrees Balling. Single vineyard registration covers blocks of up to six hectares planted with only white or only red cultivars, so it pays to keep each such block separate from planting onwards.
The mildew model adjusts for susceptibility in cabernet sauvignon, shiraz, merlot, cabernet franc, pinot noir, grenache, malbec, sauvignon blanc, chardonnay, viognier and muscat. Chenin blanc, pinotage, colombar and any other cultivar can be recorded, but the model does not yet adjust for them.
Sources
Official texts and industry bodies consulted on 31 October 2026. The Liquor Products Act schemes are quoted from the Government Notice text as reproduced by Acts Online.
- GN 3714 of 2025 — Wine industry statutory measures (registration, records, returns, levies), Government Gazette 53901
- Liquor Products Act 60 of 1989 (s. 17 export certificates, s. 18 inspections)
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 15 — authority to press grapes
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 16 — pressing of grapes and the press register
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 17 — additions, removals and treatments
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 19 — transfers between premises
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 20 — combination and blending
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 22 — bottling of wine
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 25 — provisional approval
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 29 — recording of particulars
- Wine of Origin Scheme cl. 6A — single vineyard units
- Integrated Production of Wine Scheme cl. 6 — conditions of registration
- Integrated Production of Wine Scheme cl. 7 — maintenance of registration
- Integrated Production of Wine Scheme, Annexure 1 — farm guidelines
- Liquor Products regulations, reg. 53 — issuing of export certificates
- GN R.1716 of 1991 under Act 36 of 1947 — use of agricultural remedies only as labelled (FAOLEX)
- WOSA — Wine Certification Authority (Wine and Spirit Board)
- WOSA — Joint Wine of Origin and IPW seal
- WOSA — The Integrated Production of Wine scheme
- WOSA — How to export: a step-by-step guide (March 2021)
- WIETA — Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trading Association
One price for the whole winery
99 USD/month, or 990 USD/year (two months free), excluding taxes. Vineyard, cellar, traceability and the spray diary are all included, with no per-user fees. 90-day free trial, no credit card required.
Start the 90-day trialFrequently asked questions
How long must a South African winery keep its SAWIS records?
At least three years, at the premises you registered with SAWIS. They may be kept on a computer system or by hand in ink in a record book (GN 3714 of 2025, cl. 6).
When is the SAWIS return due?
Within 15 days after the end of each calendar month, on the SAWIS forms or through sawisonline.co.za. GrapeFlow holds the intake and cellar figures you compile it from; it does not submit the return.
How soon must a press register entry be made?
By the working day after the grapes were pressed, unless the Wine of Origin Scheme says otherwise (cl. 29). The register is kept in duplicate at the pressing premises until the wine is certified or sold.
Do I need to notify anyone before bottling certified wine?
Yes. The Authority needs at least three working days’ notice, with the production sheet reference, tank, total volume, container size and bottling address (Scheme cl. 22).
Can GrapeFlow’s spray records support an IPW audit?
They show what was applied to each block, when, at what rate and with which withholding period. The IPW report form, the harmful chemicals register and the audit stay with you, and each remedy must be used only as its label states.
How much does GrapeFlow cost?
99 USD/month, or 990 USD/year (two months free), excluding taxes, billed in USD per winery. Every module is included and there are no per-user fees. The trial lasts 90 days and doesn’t need a credit card.
What language is the app in?
English, with Portuguese also available.