Tour our Vineyards
When we bought the farm in 2001 it was virgin land. The soil was untainted by synthetic fertilizers and herbicides that deplete its health. We undertook to limit our impact, create biodiversity, and ensure ongoing vitality. A priority was to plant superior vine material, free from the historically debilitating leafroll virus, through which we went to considerable lengths. A project to protect the spread of this disease in to our vines continues year on year. We practice various methods of vine training, including Cordon, Guyot, Echalas, and Goblet (bushvine) according to the three main levels of slope and the varieties planted there. Rain is plentiful in the winter and spring (850mm per annum) and the vines require little or no irrigation.
Where heaven and earth meet
Our vineyards lie in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde Valley appellation which lies at an altitude of 150-300m in the sole emergence of igneous granite in the Southern Cape. It is described as porphyritic, having cooled in stages to distinct sizes of crystals, and decomposed further in to the soil structure. Clays formed lower down that buffer the vines from temperature change and dehydration. We believe that granite provides the linear and perfumed characters in our wines.