Written by: Clifford Roberts; Photography: Johan Viljoen There’s an inseparable link between olives and wine, and wheatfields. In the mind, they hop and skip through associations with small Mediterranean villages to conjure up a setting of warmth, community and happiness. Together, they define the Swartland. Where olives are concerned, the region certainly isn’t the biggest […]

Written by Carla Hawkins Craig and Carla Hawkins, owners of TESTALONGA wines, often get asked what inspires and who designs their labels. The answer, as with most things in their business, is that they do it themselves. Apart from making wine, Craig has shifted his artistic talent from painting to designing labels. Most of the […]

Written by Clifford Roberts; Photography Johann Viljoen South Africa’s three biggest cultivars by vineyard hectares, at last record in 2020, are Cabernet Sauvignon, Pinotage and Shiraz respectively. In terms of production, however, Shiraz ranks Number One. Yet within the monolithic 88 905 tons of the red grape that are used for wine, the Swartland easily […]

As the saying goes, there really is a first time for everything.   Harvest 2021 on Schenkfontein was no exception.    Along with the threat of a third coronavirus wave looming, masks worn in the stifling summer sun, and a cellar full of wine (from the previous vintage) still in the backyard, Schenkfontein Cellar experienced a few […]

Written by Clifford Roberts; photography Johan Viljoen Small isn’t something one might first associate with the region.  Its wheatfields spread to the horizon, somehow also making the sky seem bigger than it is. Yet it’s the small beginnings that are celebrated by, for example, the basket press that is the logo of the wine and […]

Written by Eben Sadie, The Sadie Family Wines Global warming is on everyone’s lips and the debate has many polar arguments,  but one thing stands for sure:  current data affirms it as a future reality and today’s delayed response becomes the  “too late” of tomorrow. Arguments aside: even if the globe is not warming, getting […]

By Anton Pretorius In the warm and wild Swartland, winemakers and grape-growers live by the mantra that good wine starts in the vineyard and is nurtured in the cellar. André Bruyns, winemaker and owner of City on a Hill, is a firm believer of this philosophy. At first glance, André doesn’t strike you as a […]

Author: Clifford Roberts; Photographer: Johan Viljoen (unless otherwise specified) At first glance, there’s little remarkable about the Paardeberg. The low cluster of granite mounds just over half the height of Table Mountain seems out of place in a landscape dominated by sprawling wheat fields and patches of vineyard. But road trippers would be wrong to […]

Harvest 2021 has been above expectation for the new ‘Riebeek Boutique Cellar’.  With the longest harvest season to date and exciting new wine projects, it has been a marathon for the entire team. But we are all excited about this vintage and especially the new wine innovations. From vinifying 15 ha of newly certified Old […]