Bringing Beaujolais to the Cape #gamayzing

"Gamay is to red grapes in South Africa what Chenin Blanc is to white. I truly believe that Gamay will find a natural home here."

Alex Dale

Co-Founder, Radford Dale

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bringing beaujolais to the cape

17th February 2026 marked yet another hugely important milestone in Radford Dale's 28 year history; the harvest of the very first Gamay grapes from our own vines in Elgin. Indeed, the first ever certified Organic Gamay in South Africa.

There is almost no Gamay in South Africa, so we’ve truly pioneered its return. Over the past 15 years, we’ve worked to bring it back, pursuing this vision independently and planting across three regions of the Cape: the Polkadraai Hills, Helderberg, and Elgin. We took a risk because we believe in it.

This journey is deeply personal, inspired by generations of winemaking heritage and mentors like Dominique Piron, whose legacy lives on in our vineyard. We'll bottle our first vintage of Organic Gamay from Elgin late 2026 —and we can’t wait to share it with you.

Join us. Discover Gamay. Be part of the story. 🍇

Why Gamay?

Originally from Beaujolais (the Southern region of Burgundy), Gamay thrives in our soils — from granite to sandstone and shale — making it a natural fit for the Cape. It’s a generous grape, less prone to disease, highly adaptable, and ultimately, a happy vine.

thoughts from our winemaker

Gamay has a distinctive character—bright fruit, spice, minerality, and floral notes. Our role is to preserve and showcase these qualities as purely as possible.

This grape gives us exceptional acidity—unlike almost any other red varietal grown in the Cape—which allows great freedom in the winemaking process. In the cellar, we use semi-carbonic maceration, focusing first on fermenting the free-run juice, and later the juice inside the berries. This method helps us extract the best qualities of the grape while avoiding astringency and bitterness.

Alex's story

My philosophy has always been that we should match our soils and climates with grape varieties that work naturally, so that we can produce wines that truly express their location, their vintage, and their environment.

My own story with Gamay spans my entire life. I grew up in a family of UK wine merchants and importers, and as far back as I can remember, Gamay was always part of our world.

Two men sitting at a table with wine bottles and glasses, one holding a glass of gamay wine.

Green gamay sign with vineyard information in an organic vineyard setting

dominique piron, our inspiration.

During my formative years living in Burgundy, I was fortunate to meet a man named Dominique Piron—the 14th-generation vigneron from a renowned family in the village of Morgon, in Beaujolais, the heartland of Gamay. When I began my career, he generously took me under his wing, introducing me to Beaujolais and sharing his wines.

At 19, I opened a wine bar in Burgundy, where his wines became the backbone of our Beaujolais selection. So when I decided to reintroduce Gamay to South Africa, planting the first vines on our property in Elgin, I dedicated the very first vine to Dominique Piron.

Next year, when we bottle our first Gamay in 2027, we hope he will join us to celebrate this milestone—including wine made from his namesake vine in our vineyard.

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