VINEYARD POSTS - HELPING WINE FARMS ACROSS SA

South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 with Constantia, a vineyard near Cape Town, being considered one of the greatest wines in the world. Access to international markets has unleashed a burst of new energy and new investment. Production is concentrated around Cape Town, with major vineyard and production centres at Paarl, Stellenbosch and Worcester. There are about 60 appellations within the Wine of Origin (WO) system, which was implemented in 1973 with a hierarchy of designated production regions, districts and wards.

WO wines must be made 100% from grapes from the designated area. "Single vineyard" wines must come from a defined area of less than 5 hectares. An "Estate Wine" can come from adjacent farms, as long as they are farmed together and wine is produced on site. A ward is an area with a distinctive soil type or climate, and is roughly equivalent to a European appellation.

Vineyard posts, or vineyard poles as they are known locally are wooden poles used in the growing of grapes used in the production of wine, are part of the R&B Group product mix. Vineyard posts are generally treated with Creosote, as it is the most cost effective and robust wood treatment commercially available in South Africa currently.

Grape growers and the wine industry make use of vineyard posts to help support and allow the best growth for their grapes. Wooden Vineyard posts have been used in wine production since the early 1900's, and The R&B Group has been producing and supplying them since 1952. The R&B Group only treat vineyard posts to the H5 specification and comply strictly to the Hardpole process.