Western Cape floods leave grapes of grief in their wake

Wine producers in the Western Cape say it could take years to recover fully from last month’s floods that washed away vineyards and damaged critical infrastructure.

Many vineyards will need to be replanted and re-established, an expensive and lengthy process because vines require several years to mature before producing commercially viable grapes.

While the total cost of damage to the wine industry has not yet been finalised, for some estates the impact has been catastrophic.

Among the hardest hit is Springfield Estate, a family-owned wine farm in Robertson that cultivates 220ha of vineyards along the Breede River. The farm estimates its losses at about R15m, and will have to spend the same amount on replanting vines, restoring soil and replacing infrastructure.

Springfield Estate spokesperson Jenna Bruwer Kruger said the floods were the fourth major floods to hit the farm in three years, and by far the worst. “We only received about 20mm of rain on the farm itself. The destruction came entirely from upstream. By May 12, roughly 90 of our 220ha were underwater. Nothing remains.”

She said the vineyard destructing inclued a 20ha replacement block that had only been completed in November 2025 after the previous flood.

In some places, the sand lies shoulder-high between the vine rows. We currently have an additional 100 workers on site every day, clearing it by hand

—  Jenna Bruwer Kruger, Springfield Estate

“A further 15ha have been heavily damaged, and we are still assessing whether they can be salvaged. Another 79ha were covered in sand, mud and debris. In some places, the sand lies shoulder-high between the vine rows. We currently have an additional 100 workers on site every day, clearing it by hand,” she said.

The farm, which has operated since 1898 and has marketed wines under the Springfield Estate label since 1995, is known for wines such as Life from Stone sauvignon blanc and Whole Berry cabernet sauvignon.

Bruwer Kruger said the damage extended beyond the vineyards. All of the farm’s wind machines, large fans that protect the vines from frost damage, were submerged and would need to be repaired or replaced.

“The pumphouse pumps were flooded, and the pumphouse itself was damaged. It had recently been rebuilt to replace the original structure that had stood since the 1970s. Our private high-voltage electricity line was partially swept away, and the transformer was lost.

“Fortunately our cellar and homes were spared, and the 2026 vintage was safely in the cellar before the flood hit.”

She said volumes and yields were likely to drop, “simply due to the hectares that have been lost”.

“We are also monitoring the surviving vines closely, as flood damage can affect vineyard vigour in less obvious ways, including exposed root systems, waterlogged soils that may lead to fungal diseases and stressed plants. The full extent of the damage will only become clear over the next growing season,” Bruwer Kruger said.

Another major casualty was Van Loveren Family Vineyards, a renowned wine producer in the same area established in 1937. The label exports wine around the world and recently won a wine industry “visionary leadership” award for its long-term contribution to economic and social sustainability.

Marketing manager Marili McElhinney said the floods damaged warehouse facilities, vineyards, agricultural infrastructure, the cellar and several operational areas.

It is estimated that more than 1-million bottles of wine were affected, while the farm’s solar energy infrastructure was also significantly damaged.

“Access to certain parts of the farm was restricted for several days, while electricity outages further complicated recovery efforts and damage assessments,” McElhinney said.

This disrupted the fulfillment of orders for both domestic and export customers as recovery and clean-up began. “Our teams have been working around the clock to restore production and minimise the impact on customers and trade partners,” she said.

“Our tasting room was also closed for several weeks while restoration work was completed.”

In some areas, farmers are still without electricity. There could be disruptions to food supply in certain areas, and Western Cape exports will likely decline

—  Rojeanne de Wet, Agri Western Cape spokesperson

The overall damage was “significant”. Beyond the immediate losses, there will be substantial investment required to restore affected infrastructure, vineyards and operational capacity,“ McElhinney said. “We anticipate it will be several years before the business is fully restored to pre-flood conditions.”

Fortunately this year’s vintage was safe, with most of the wine stored in tanks and only a small portion affected by floodwater. “While there will undoubtedly be challenges ahead, we remain confident in our ability to continue supplying both local and international markets as recovery efforts progress,” she said.

The province’s agricultural sector as a whole suffered losses estimated at more than R5.2bn, according the Western Cape government.

Agri Western Cape spokesperson Rojeanne de Wet said many roads had been damaged, making it difficult for farmers to access connecting routes. “In some areas, farmers are still without electricity,” she said. “There could be disruptions to food supply in certain areas, and Western Cape exports will likely decline.”

South African Table Grape Industry CEO Mecia Petersen said: “The most severely affected table grape production areas were parts of the Hex River and Olifants River regions. For the Hex River Valley, this marks the third major flooding event in five years, resulting in repeated damage to vineyards and critical infrastructure.”