CorkonomicsThe economics of wine production, collection, and vineyards
The numbers
Vineyard land · Pauillac≈$2,798,250 a hectare▼ down 17% on 20232024Opening price · Château Lafite Rothschild 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 17% on the year beforeSold at auction · Romanée-Conti Grand Cru, DRC 2019$22,917 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Burgundy grand cru (Pinot Noir)$48–283US duty on wine from · Canada+50%since Aug 2026Everyday bottle in a US shop$13.77 a litre▼ down 1.3% in a yearSep 2026Vineyard land · Margaux≈$1,567,020 a hectare▼ down 7% on 20232024Opening price · Château Cheval Blanc 2025≈$376 a bottle▲ up 22% on the year beforeSold at auction · La Tâche Grand Cru, DRC 2018$5,417 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Champagne prestige cuvée$26–89US duty on wine from · Australia+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte-Rôtie≈$1,511,055 a hectare▲ up 8% on 20232024Opening price · Château Mouton Rothschild 2025≈$336 a bottle▲ up 19% on the year beforeSold at auction · Richebourg Grand Cru, DRC 2012$3,542 a bottleSotheby's, Sep 2026Cost to make one bottle · Bordeaux classified growth (2nd–5th)$17–61US duty on wine from · New Zealand+12.5%since Jul 2026Vineyard land · Côte de Nuits grand cru≈$7,275,450 a hectare2019Opening price · Château Palmer 2025≈$268 a bottle▼ down 19% on the year beforeVineyard land · Pomerol≈$2,238,600 a hectare2023
Corkonomics
LearnGrapesRegionsWinesNews
Wine basicsThe five types of wineHow to taste wineHow to read a wine labelWine with foodWine words
Learn the economicsThe economics of wine productionThe economics of wine collectingCourses
Regions
BordeauxBurgundyChampagneRhôneNapa ValleyTuscanyPiedmontMoselOregonRiojaCalifornia sparklingValais and LavauxEnglandDouroEtnaMendozaMarlboroughStellenboschBarossa ValleyTasmaniaBeaujolaisJuraAlsaceLoireProvenceRibera del DueroSonoma
What land costsGood years and badAppellationsFamous vineyards
Wines
Famous winesWho makes themFind a vintageCompare wines
PricesWhat a bottle costs to makeWhat vineyard land costsWhat grapes fetchWhat the border addsWhy wine costs what it doesRelease pricesAuction resultsTariffsMarket overviewWine in official statisticsVineyard economicsResearch
MoreAsk the DataAI agentsSavedAPIAbout usMethodologyContact
Dark mode
Language
Currency
Settings
Dark mode
Language
Currency

New to wine? Start with the short lessons, then look up any word you do not know.

Learn · Wine words · Your saved pages

South Africa

Three and a half centuries of Cape wine: Stellenbosch, Swartland and the Hemel-en-Aarde, a weak rand that helps exporters, and growers paid less than it costs to farm.

Save

A wine scene in Stellenbosch
Pictured: Stellenbosch

About 90,000 hectares of vines in the Western Cape. Vinpro’s cost guides show average income per hectare below the cost of production in recent years; the top estates and the property market around Stellenbosch are where the value sits.

The essentials

Economic facts that matter

Stellenbosch vineyard sells for about R800,000–1 million a hectare as farmland and far more for development, which is why the district has been losing vines.

Key facts

Vineyard area
≈ 90,000 haSAWIS

Regions

RegionStellenboschThe Cape’s oldest and most valuable wine district: Cabernet and Chenin Blanc between granite mountains, Cape…

US imports from South Africa

$0.00$2.50$5.00$7.50$10201520172019202120232025US$ millions per month, customs valueYearMonthly, 2015–2026 · HS 2204, wine of fresh grapes · Source: U.S. Census Bureau
US$ millions per month, customs value, HS 2204 (wine of fresh grapes)Source: U.S. Census Bureauas of 1 August 2026

Sources

  1. Vinpro Cost Guide 2025/2026, Vinpro, 2025. Retrieved 6 October 2026.
Last reviewed: October 2026Report an error on this page

Related

RegionStellenbosch