Close examination of Southern vineyard, very small (8)
I believe the answer is:
scrutiny
'close examination' is the definition.
(I've seen this before)
'southern vineyard very small' is the wordplay.
'southern' becomes 's' (abbreviation).
'vineyard' becomes 'cru' (I've seen this before).
'very small' becomes 'tiny' (I've seen this before).
's'+'cru'+'tiny'='SCRUTINY'
'of' acts as a link.
(Other definitions for scrutiny that I've seen before include "A careful look or examination" , "Close investigation" , "City runs (anag.)" , "Close, careful examination" , "Critical examination" .)