estate, noun

Origin:
EnglishShow more Special senses of general English estate a (usually large) property on which a crop is cultivated; a vineyard.
1. combination.
estate wine, wine produced (and sometimes bottled) on a vineyard from the grapes grown there; but see also quotation 1993.
Note:
Since 1972 this designation has been restricted by law to those wines produced on vineyards legally recognized as ‘estates’ (see sense 2 below).
1967 W.A. De Klerk White Wines 73There are those who would claim that the only true estate wine is one that is produced, matured, bottled on the farm, and marketed from it. Some would even go further and say that only grapes grown on the estate itself should be used.
1972 Govt Gaz. Vol.84 No.3569, 9If the indication ‘estate wine’ is intended to be used..state whether the estate wine is to be..produced, made and bottled on the estate or..produced and made on the estate and bottled elsewhere.
1975 C.J.G. Niehaus in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. XI. 462Legislation has been amended and extended to provide for the production and sale of ‘estate wines’ as well as wines of origin.
1981 J. Doxat Indispensable Drinks Bk 52‘Estate’ wines are..specifically designated on the neck label, as well as having to conform to certain rules.
1982 M. Beazley Hugh Johnson’s Pocket Wine Bk 171Estate wine, A strictly controlled term applying only to some 60 registered estates making wines made of grapes grown on the same property.
c1993 J. Platter S. Afr. Wine Guide 17‘Estate’ wine can also be made by one grower drawing grapes from two or more separate farms, provided they enjoy comparable climates and soils — a rather elastic condition.
2. A registered vineyard producing (and sometimes bottling) wines made exclusively from grapes grown within its boundaries. Often attributive. Cf. wine farm (see wine farmer).
1972 Act 62 in Govt Gaz. Vol.84 No.3551, 7The Minister may for the purpose of the sale or export of any wine or spirits..define any estate or area...Any person desiring an estate or area to be defined..shall apply therefor to the Wine and Spirit Board.., furnishing such particulars in connection with his application as may be required.
1975 C.J.G. Niehaus in Std Encycl. of Sn Afr. XI. 462The estate producers have organised themselves into a society.
1988 D. Hughes et al. Complete Bk of S. Afr. Wine 113Together with this provision went a number of others regarding cellar equipment and procedures, which had to be up to a rigorous standard before a farm could be granted Estate status. The regulations did not cover bottling or distribution, which many Estate farmers prefer to leave in the hands of a large wholesaler.
1988 D. Hughes et al. Complete Bk of S. Afr. Wine 290He consolidated the two farms and registered Weltevrede as an Estate with the Wine and Spirit Board during 1974.
c1993 J. Platter S. Afr. Wine Guide 17Estate Concept, Fewer than 100 of South Africa’s 4 900 grape growers make wine on their own premises and fewer still actually bottle their wines on the property in the purist, mis en bouteille au chateau manner...However, a handful of estate growers do match the complete and true idea of chateau or domaine bottling.
A registered vineyard producing (and sometimes bottling) wines made exclusively from grapes grown within its boundaries. Often attributive.
Entry Navigation

Visualise Quotations

Quotation summary

Senses

19671993

Compounds

estate wine

Browse Related Words

By Category

Viticulture
Wine-making Distilling and Brewing

By Origin

English
essenwood, nounn.Ethiopian, adjectiveadj. & nounn.
Copyright © 2025 Dictionary Unit for South African English