The estate was founded in 2004 by former Hamilton Russell winemaker and Cape Wine Guild member, Kevin Grant, who owns the property along with his wife Hanli. Kevin considers himself a dirt farmer, striving to make sure his wines are a pure expression of the soil in which the fruit grows. Not surprisingly, then, Kevin approaches his wines with a minimalist, non-interventionist winemaking philosophy. Chardonnay and pinot noir are planted exclusively. Vines are planted on predominately south facing slopes, with soil types dictating which varietals are grown where. Ataraxia’s vineyards are nestled in the slopes of Babel’s Tower mountain range. Elevation on site ranges from 358 to 399 meters (1,174 to 1,309 feet) above sea level. The soils that make up the Hemel-en-Aarde area can be traced back more than 100 million years. 14 types are found on the Ataraxia property, including Sandstone, Cape Granite and Bokkeveld Shale, derived from the deposits of Table Mountain.
The Ataraxia farm is situated within the Hemel-en-Aarde region of the Walker Bay area. West of Cape Agulhas, Africa’s southernmost tip, Hemel-en-Aarde is Afrikaans for “heaven and earth” and lies close to the Atlantic Ocean. The valley is orientated on an east/west axis and approximately 35 kilometres (22 miles) long. The mild maritime climate allows the grapes to have a longer hang time and is ideal for making elegant, refined wines.
Bayede! Bayede means “Hail to the King” in Zulu and it is the only wine brand owned by the Zulu nation. As with the rich Zulu history of successive kings, the Bayede! Royal brand endures beyond generations. The brand is a living legacy, a tangible product reflecting royalty, culture, and history. Bayede provides employment to women in the community who did not have the opportunity to obtain education, but who are masters in the Zulu tradition of beading. These beads proudly adorn the Bayede “Prince” and reserve wines.
Bayede! is based on the purpose of providing employment opportunities, not only providing sustainable jobs but also empowering people through skills transfer and capacity building. A range of diversified products are developed, using labor mainly from local communities and established community projects in essence to battle unemployment in South Africa.
Kaapzicht’s vineyards sit on north-western slopes in Bottelary Hills, Stellenbosch, overlooking Table Mountain and False Bay. With a higher elevation, older vines, proximity to the Atlantic Ocean, and a large enough crop to always select the best grapes for their wines, Kaapzicht is consistently recognized in Stellenbosch and abroad for quality. The vineyards rise 200 meters (656 feet) above sea level, resulting in a slightly lower daytime temperature and a cooling ocean breeze at night. The vineyards are completely unirrigated with vines dig deep into granite and clay soils, enabling consistent quality across vintages, even during challenging years.
The chenin blanc and pinotage grow on bush vines which give a lower yield, thereby improving the quality and structure of the wine. Kaapzicht has some of the oldest chenin blanc vines in the country, with one block dating back to 1947. While the single bloc 1947 chenin sells out before it’s even bottled, the Steytler family includes some of these special grapes in their other chenin releases, including the unoaked Kaapzicht chenin blanc.
As members of the Biodiversity of Wine Initiative, Villiera is committed to environmental preservation. Farming methods are environmentally friendly, including natural pest control methods (e.g., ducks, not insecticide). Natural resource consumption is also sustainable, with initiatives including a solar power facility, a wildlife preserve, water conservation and recycling programs, and greening projects to reduce the winery’s carbon footprint. A wildlife sanctuary on the farm shows visitors the extent of the efforts the Villiera has made to preserve local wildlife.
Villiera also cares for its workers and neighbors. The farm is accredited by The Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trading Association (WIETA) and BEE Empowered Certification. It also participates in the Pebbles Project, which provides education for disadvantaged children in the winelands.
Silver MYn wines come from the Zorgvliet Estate in Banghoek Valley, a small subregion just 4 miles outside of Stellenbosh. The area is home dangerously steep land and you can still find leopards in the mountains. Grapes are grown on the dangerously steep slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in vineyards that are among the highest in Stellenbosch. You can even still find leopards in the mountains. The folks at Zorgvliet can handle it, though. In fact Zorgvliet, pronounced ‘Sorg-fleet’ means ‘no worries’.
Winemaker Bernard Les Roux has been making wine since 2001. He has worked vintages around the world, from California at Chateau Montelena, to South Africa working with Hamilton-Russell, Tokara, Vilafonte and Nobel Hill before taking over the reigns at Zorgvliet in 2013. When not in the vineyard or making wine you’ll find him playing his guitar, surfing, playing cricket, sailing or with his family.
Sugarbird
Sugarbird was founded in 2017 with the goal of creating a gin with a perfect balance between floral and citrus notes combining traditional gin ingredients with unique, flavourful and diverse “fynbos” plant species. These local ingredients bring something unique and special creating a gin like no other. The “Sugarbird” is one of 6 bird species that occurs only in this tiny part of the world where fynbos grow.
Original Cape Fynbos Founder, scientist, and fynbos junkie, Matthew Bresser crafted the Original Cape Fynbos gin aiming to showcase the unique citrus and floral notes the fynbos botanicals offer. Using local ingredients including traditional citrus, Matthew used honeybush and leaves from a fynbos plant Pelargonium graveolens (local rose geranium). This gin’s most distinctive fynbos hero is Agathosma betulina whose leaves are carefully harvested at a particular time of year to assure the minty camphor freshness (that juniper normally brings), while still allowing it to enhance fruitiness with black currant, tropical guava and peach notes.
Juniper Unfiltered The Juniper Unfiltered Gin throws a nod to traditional London Dry roots by celebrating Juniper cones (called berries because of their shape and rich purple color). Sugarbird Juniper Unfiltered is Africa’s first unfiltered gin with its purposefully deep purple color coming from a combination of five fynbos species’ leaves and flowers, as well as blueberry skins. It looks spectacular in glass once mixed with tonic. Here, the overarching taste character comes from the fynbos species Cape May and Cape Chamomile (which turns a deep blue in distillation from azuline compounds).