Privacy Policy

Winelands Atlas is a wine farm directory for the Western Cape, South Africa, operated by Brett Lee. Our website is located at winelandsatlas.co.za, and we also provide free mobile applications for visitors on iOS and Android. For any privacy-related queries, contact us at info@winelandsatlas.co.za.

We collect the following types of information across our website and mobile apps:

Information you provide directly

• Name, email address, and phone number when you contact us, create an account, or submit a form
• Account details when you register in the mobile app or on the website (for example, to save favourite wine farms), including information provided when you use "Sign in with Apple" or "Sign in with Google" (such as your name and email address)
• Farm details, descriptions, images, and contact information submitted by wine farm owners or managers for their listings (via the website only — the mobile apps are for visitors)
• Messages sent to us via contact forms or email

Information collected automatically

• Browser type, device type, and operating system
• IP address and approximate location (country/region)
• Pages or screens viewed, time spent, and referring website or in-app activity
• Language preference and currency selection
• Mobile app diagnostics and crash data to help us fix problems and improve stability

Device location (mobile apps)

• With your permission, we access your device's precise location to show wine farms near you on the map and provide directions. Location is used only while you are using this feature. You can grant or revoke location access at any time in your device settings, and the app will continue to work without it (you can still browse and search farms manually).

Push notifications (mobile apps)

• If you choose to enable notifications, we collect a device push token so we can send you relevant updates. You can turn notifications off at any time in your device settings.

Cookies and similar technologies (website)

• We use essential cookies to keep the site functioning (e.g., language and currency preferences)
• We use analytics cookies (such as Google Analytics) to understand how visitors use our site
• You can manage cookie preferences through your browser settings

We use the information we collect to:

• Display wine farm listings and provide directory services
• Show nearby farms on the map and provide directions (using device location, with your permission)
• Create and manage your visitor account and saved favourites, and sync them across your devices
• Respond to enquiries and support requests
• Process and manage farm listing subscriptions (Free and Premium tiers) for wine farm owners using the website
• Send transactional emails or notifications related to your account
• Improve our Services, content, and user experience through analytics and crash diagnostics
• Detect and prevent fraud or misuse of the Services

We do not sell, rent, or trade your personal information to third parties for marketing purposes.

We process your personal information based on:

• Your consent (e.g., when you submit a contact form, enable location or notifications, or subscribe to communications)
• Contractual necessity (e.g., to manage your account or a farm listing subscription)
• Our legitimate interests (e.g., to improve the Services and prevent fraud)

We may share your information with:

• Service providers who help us operate the Services, including Supabase (database, authentication, and backend hosting), our analytics provider, and our map and directions provider
• Payment processors (such as Paystack) to handle subscription payments securely — we do not store your credit card details (applies to wine farm owner subscriptions on the website)
• Apple and Google, where you choose to use their sign-in services or app-store features
• Law enforcement or regulatory authorities if required by South African law

Wine farm contact details (phone, email, website) submitted for a listing are displayed publicly as part of the directory service. Farm owners consent to this when submitting their listing.

We retain your personal information for as long as:

• Your account or farm listing is active on Winelands Atlas
• Necessary to provide our services or comply with legal obligations
• Required for legitimate business purposes (e.g., resolving disputes)

You may request deletion of your personal data at any time (see Section 7). We will process such requests within 30 days.

You can request deletion of your account and associated personal information at any time:

• By email: contact info@winelandsatlas.co.za with the subject "Delete my account", or
• On the web: visit winelandsatlas.co.za/delete-account

Once verified, we will delete your account and associated personal data within 30 days, except where we are required to retain certain information to comply with legal obligations or resolve disputes.

Under the Protection of Personal Information Act (POPIA) of South Africa, you have the right to:

• Access the personal information we hold about you
• Request correction of inaccurate or incomplete information
• Request deletion of your personal information
• Object to the processing of your personal information
• Withdraw consent at any time (where processing is based on consent)
• Lodge a complaint with the Information Regulator (South Africa)

To exercise any of these rights, contact us at info@winelandsatlas.co.za. We will respond within 30 days.

Winelands Atlas is based in South Africa and our servers and service providers may be located outside South Africa. By using our Services, you consent to the transfer of your information to countries that may have different data protection laws. We take reasonable steps to ensure your data is treated securely.

For visitors from the European Union: we process your data in accordance with applicable data protection principles. You may contact us to exercise your rights under GDPR where applicable.

Winelands Atlas is not directed at children under the age of 18. We do not knowingly collect personal information from children. If you believe a child has provided us with personal information, please contact us and we will delete it promptly.

We take reasonable technical and organisational measures to protect your personal information against unauthorised access, loss, or misuse. However, no method of transmission over the internet is 100% secure, and we cannot guarantee absolute security.

Our Services contain links to wine farm websites and other third-party sites, and rely on third-party providers (such as Supabase, our analytics provider, map provider, and Apple/Google sign-in) to function. We are not responsible for the privacy practices of external sites. We encourage you to read their privacy policies before providing any personal information.

We may update this Privacy Policy from time to time. Any changes will be posted on this page with an updated "Last updated" date. Continued use of the Services after changes constitutes acceptance of the revised policy.

For any privacy-related queries or to exercise your rights, contact us at info@winelandsatlas.co.za.