Newton Johnson Vineyards is situated in the ‘Wine of Origin’ ward of the ‘Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley’, which is located approximately 135 kilometres from Cape Town on the Southeast Cape coast. The appellation has already established itself as one of the premier viticultural sites in the Cape, traditionally specialising in Pinot noir and Chardonnay. Recently, it has further discovered an affinity for Syrah and Sauvignon Blanc. In South African terms it is seen as one of the coolest vineyard sites, with the ability to create wines of finesse, minerality and complexity.

Ranging in their proximity to the ocean from 2 km to 8 km, every vineyard in the Valley has the distinct feature of being able to see the sea. The climate is temperate. Parallel mountain ranges channel the southerly maritime winds through the appellation in the summer. These winds in turn bring regular sea mists and overcast conditions to the valley and with it remarkably even temperatures. The average mean temperature is 19.8 C, the annual rainfall 750mm, with the altitude of the various vineyards between 100 and 300m.

There are two properties belonging to the domaine, Newton Johnson Vineyards (north-facing) and Sandford (south facing), with 18 Ha of vineyard planted and 140 Ha in total. Our farming practices are sustainable and environmentally friendly, that inevitably leads to better wine in the bottle. Our vineyards are 100% free of any leafroll virus, having used natural agents such as ladybird and wasp insects over the years to keep our vineyards healthy. We also utilise high density plantings and some alternative vine training methods, such as ‘guyot’ (cane pruned) and ‘echalas’ (stake trained) vines, striving for more balance in the growth of the vineyards and better flavour representation. Our soils, here in the upper part of the valley, are variable concentrations and depths of decomposed granite, fine fragments of quartz, and clay. The diversity produces a variety of characters, from fine and perfumed to more structured wines.