Written by: Clifford Roberts; Photography: Herman Mostert
A stay of execution on an important part of Swartland history was granted when the Johannes Family decided to keep the Lammershoek name. After acquiring the property in 2022 and launching Zwartwater Wines, it certainly looked like time for a story born in the early 18th century to end.
A stained-glass window in the cellar bears the date 1718.
“That is the date that this and most of the properties around it were given to a Vryburger,” says CEO and winemaker Stefan Johannes. Various dates have cropped up over the years, but his research, however, shows the name was already mentioned in 1710.
“So, Lammershoek officially is the oldest named property in the Swartland. It’s also the oldest vineyard property in Swartland.
“Back in the 1700s, the title deed always reflected the balance sheet of the business or the farm, essentially. As you planted something or had more lambs or whatever, you always recorded it on the title deed itself. When you sold the farm, you gave the title deed with the balance sheet to the next owner.”
Historical and historically interesting too
In this process, Stefan also discovered the first vineyards – 600 vines in all – were planted in 1719.
“Somewhere along the line it has dawned on me that Lammershoek is by far the most historically interesting property in the Swartland. So, we decided the name Lammershoek and the place, the name belongs to the place, not the wine. The Lammershoek wine brand has been discontinued. It is now purely a place, an origin, this farm.”
Another interesting anecdote in this tale is that the Johanneses originally turned down the property put up for sale by Andreas and Sonja Abold because they thought it too dry to farm. They’d returned to South Africa from Australia, after having bought vineyards in Hunter Valley, and were scouting local opportunities.
In the meantime, Stefan, who’d stayed in Cape Town after their move Down Under, pursued a career in wine. He first worked at Le Riche, and then as assistant winemaker for Pieter Walser at BlankBottle in 2019.
A short time later, the Family changed its mind about the Paardeberg farm and fortunately too, reckons Stefan.
World-renowned
Lammershoek’s 180ha spread lies in the Aprilskloof of the Paardeberg, on the southern edge of the Swartland. Its soils are diverse, characterised by the granitic outcrops for which the region is known, and its neighbours are world-renowned for their wines, producing some of South Africa’s highest priced expressions.
One of the property’s prominent features is the uncanny collection of old cultivars, including – at the time of writing – the oldest blocks of Chardonnay, Carignan and Hárslevelű. It had been a testbed for celebrated viticulturist Desiderius Pongrácz, amongst others.
Stefan recounts that during his historical investigations, one industry veteran asked him why he thought the farm had attracted so much attention. The answer: in the early days, Lammershoek was known as a Swartland farm with plentiful water.
A tale of two blends
Stefan’s experience on the farm since taking over has confirmed this. The first year under Stefan, the farm paused production, removing some 12ha of under-performing vineyards. The 2024 vintage was the first for Zwartwater Wines. It launched with two blends, a white and a red. Over time, new projects have emerged, including a Mourvèdre rosé.
Not everything grown on the farm’s 42ha ends up under the Zwartwater label. The fruit is shared between the farm’s own wines and about a dozen customers, among them some of South Africa’s most prominent premium brands.
Today, Lammershoek has every reason to hold its head high. Far from being a relic of the past, it is in its second act. Under Stefan Johannes’s stewardship, the name that has survived more than three centuries endures as a place, an origin, and Zwartwater Wines is the newest chapter in one of the Swartland’s longest-running stories.
Farm visits and tastings are from Monday to Friday, 10 am to 3 pm; weekends and public holidays are by appointment only.
• The Swartland Wine and Olive Route is a member organisation comprising the largest representation of producers in the Swartland region.
