South African wine and Chenin blanc. The cool climate Overberg region has been the site of the most recent interest and development in the South African wine industry, particularly with increased plantings of Chardonnay and Pinot noir. The entire area received very little attention until the late 20th century and was not even classified in 1973 within the original Wine of Origins programme. The maritime climate of Walker Bay and the cool, higher elevation vineyards of Elgin located east of Cape Town, have had success producing these varietals as well as Sauvignon blanc. The "Klein Karoo" region (meaning Little Karoo) has a semi-desert
Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden such as the succulents of the unique Robertson Karoo vegetation type, and patches of the threatened Breede Shale Renosterveld vegetation type. The cultivated area, with its network of pathways, includes a very large succulent collection. Including the greenhouses it maintains nearly 3,000 species. There are another 400 plant species that are naturally indigenous to the garden's premises. A range of wild animals also naturally occurs in the garden, including the shrub hare, grey mongoose, three tortoises species ("Chersina angulata", "Stigmochelys pardalis" & "Homopus areolatus") and a range of other small mammals, reptiles and amphibians. Karoo Desert National Botanical Garden The