You don’t need smoke and mirrors to make great wine. You need good earth, good air, good weather, good fruit and good people. Our goal is to make the best possible wines, without all the hype and swagger. We don’t do things for commercial reasons or “just because”. We don’t do things because that’s how they’ve always been done. We do whatever is needed to make a wine that speaks for itself and especially where it’s from.

If you want the best wine in every bottle, you need to grow your vines in the best location for the task. That’s why we don’t grow all the grapes in one spot. Indeed, we even have two wineries; one on the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch, the other at our Organic Estate in Elgin. Take top-notch Pinot Noir. Stellenbosch, for example, is a bit too warm for these temperamental grapes to produce the finest Pinots, so instead we focus on our best organic soils in cool-climate Elgin, because this area has the right conditions and allows picky Pinot Noir to thrive naturally. Our finest red blends tend to come from the granite, shale and ironstone soils of the Swartland, so we focus purely on certain combinations and varieties there (Carignan, Grenache, Mourvèdre, Syrah etc). While the Ocean facing granitic slopes of the Helderberg is where our old bush vine Chenins and Pinotages are in their element. The land tells us what nature likes best; we follow the wisdom of the earth rather than the whim of we mere mortals.

Many producers make wines to win prestigious awards, but we prefer for people to buy into the virtues of our wines and what we stand for. Our wines don’t chase trophies, but they’re often more complex and balanced than the ones that do. Our consumers love them for their attitude and taste. And that’s all the recognition we need.

We don’t just work hard growing grapes and turning them into wine. We also work hard to care for the land and the people involved in the process. We use 50% of the gross profit from our Land of Hope range to educate our previously disadvantaged employees, especially their children and dependents. The other 50% is used principally to cover production finance costs, so we can continue giving back to the people who make our wines without ever diminishing the committed 50%. All our wines are also eco-friendly and 100% South African.

So much so that we don’t even produce Sauvignon Blanc. Truly. Why? Because we believe that the often under-appreciated Chenin Blanc grape thrives more naturally in South Africa and has a far stronger potential to produce superior wines. Taste one of ours and make up your own mind.