WINES

South African wine has a history dating back to 1659 after the arrival of the Dutch in 1652. It was further enhanced by the arrival of the French Huguenots in 1688, who found the Mediterranean climate of the Western Cape ideal for grape cultivation and wine production. Over the years the industry has kept pace with winemaking technology, which resulted in a quality comparable to the best wines on the international market. Today, South African wine is renowned worldwide.

The Malherbe family, owners of Chin-Africa Impex, are 13th and 14th generation descendants of the 1688 Huguenots. Their wine is exported under the Sarah’s Creek brand, which is inspired by a great aunt of the family, who as a child used to bide her time on the way to school by taking the path via her favourite creek to enjoy the sounds and sights of nature. Sarah’s Creek wines are allowed to mature with a similar view towards time and nature before finally being sent to market.

Deetlefs Estate is found in its own unique micro-climatic zone at the foot of the Du Toitskloof Mountain range in the Western Cape, South Africa. They have a variety of soil compositions similar to the left and right bank in Bordeaux, varying from welldrained stone-rich alluvial soils to sand loam and a combination thereof. The Mediterranean-like climate is conducive to the production of quality wines in different styles. The 105 hectares are under vines with 60% white varietals and 40% red varietals. All grapes are hand-picked at different stages of ripening.

At an altitude of more than 1000m above sea level, Cederberg Private Cellar is South Africa’s highest situated winery and a unique wine experience in every respect. With a cool continental climate, diverse soil types, unpolluted air and crystal clear waters, winemaker David Nieuwoudt sculpts red and white wines as dramatic as the high altitude setting of this award-winning winery. It is a dedication to excellence, attention to detail, respect and love for the rugged terrain that makes Cederberg Private Cellar one of South Africa’s leading wine producers.

Arendsig (translated in English as “eagle’s view”) is nestled in the cradle of the Breede River between Robertson and Bonnievale where the soil is deep, rich and fertile. The soil, combined with summer day/night temperature fluctuations, the irrigation water originating from the Ceres and DuToitskloof mountains and the hand harvesting of the grapes favors outstanding quality, unique aroma and character development. This is where Lourens van der Westhuizen and his team, handcraft his award winning wines in his boutique cellar.

At more than a half century old Rooiberg Winery, with its striking red land art, you find an exciting expression of wine diversity and quality born from unique set of ecological features. The story of Rooiberg Winery, situated in the renowned Robertson Wine Valley of South Africa, is that of a group of pioneering wine farms alongside three rivers surrounding the Rooiberg Mountain, which overlooks the cellar and its source vineyards. These are the Vink, the Noree and Breede Rivers – geological features, which give rise to extraordinary terroir and originally led to the establishment of these farms at a dependable source of water.

Steeped in a history dating back to 1692, the Lanzerac Wine Estate, home to the first bottled Pinotage, is situated at the foot of the majestic Jonkershoek Valley of Stellenbosch. Experience the finest hospitality the Cape Winelands has to offer, indulging guests with warm and passionate service, the finest wine and cuisine.

Le Riche Wines is situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain, in close proximity to the historic town of Stellenbosch. With old style open top concrete fermentation tanks mixed with a modern minimum intervention wine making approach, the winery provides a platform to create ultra premium red wines in a classic South African style. Le Riche Wines was founded by Etienne Le Riche in 1996 and is now run as a family concern. Coming from an illustrious career in the South African wine industry, Etienne decided to create a winery where he could express the cultivar he had grown to love and respect, Cabernet Sauvignon. The approach was simple, to illustrate the nuances of Stellenbosch Cabernets as best possible. Preferring not to be inhibited by estate classification, he chose to select grapes from the best possible terroirs Stellenbosch had to offer. The resulting wines have shown great elegance and class, consistently proving to be of superb quality and maturation potential.