We areA journey, not a race
A life-long dream that’s a decade old now; a love for the natural sciences led founder Francois Haasbroek down the wine route. Studying viticulture and oenology (wine making) at Stellenbosch University was the first stop, shortly followed by the formative experience of working under one of the greats of the industry, Neil Ellis. In-between a handful of harvests at Dry Creek Vineyard, Sonoma and Jackson Estate in Marlborough broadened the horizons a bit.
The following decade was spent working with Kevin Arnold at Waterford Estate in Stellenbosch, specialising in producing ultra-premium Stellenbosch wines. The creative urge, however, was always to establish something from conceptualisation to execution one day…. that day came in 2012.
Our vision is to make interesting and dynamic wines regardless of origin, we champion individual sites, growers, and cultivars; above all else, our mission are to make wines that truly surprise in their elegance and complexity.
We do not own a farm or vineyards, instead selecting the flexibility of finding fascinating and interesting sites across the Western Cape, build long-term relationships with land-owner’s and continue a journey together.
01Our Philosophy
Wine is not some mysterious force; it is based on science, driven by passion, influenced by forces often beyond our control, with a vision of having fun and delivering joy to other’s. In a nutshell, we love making wine, it is a creative process and although the blueprint had remained unchanged (yeast effectively converting sugar to alcohol) for time immemorial every other step has a human touch to it. Our touch is light, with minimal intervention, trusting that great grapes should translate to great wines if we do our job correctly.
02Our Technique
There is no secret sauce here, the first step is to get grapes from rock-solid sites grown by rock-solid people; from there it is a walk in the park! We keep intervention to an absolute minimum in the cellar, some might claim it to be “natural wine”, we prefer the term “minimal-intervention”. Fermentations run on their own steam, no additional enzymes, stabilisation additions or any of the dozens of additives that are legally allowed to be applied. We are however realist and pragmatist, if a wine requires intervention to ensure health and stability we will jump in and address it if needed, but our over-riding philosophy stands, intervention is a worst-case solution not a standard procedure.
03Green Practices
As lifelong devotees to the outdoors and nature, we are well aware that all our actions have an impact on the environment and society in large. The responsibility falls on us to take ownership of our impacts, do our absolute best to minimise it and endeavour to leave it in better shape than we found it. Although not officially accredited, we ensure our consumption of natural resources like energy and water is restricted to the absolute minimum required. Similarly we work closely with all our grape growers in supporting and advising on techniques to farm as closely to the land as possible. The movement of less intervention in the vineyards have thankfully started to spread and have been shown to be better for soil health and ultimately the vine. Where-ever we can improve in minimising our impact on the environment will receive our full support.
ExploreOur Story
“Either give me more wine or leave me alone” – Rumi
Meet theWinemaking Team
We are a small team, and there is no place for egos, perceived importance, rank or title. We get our hands dirty, backs bent and work done, together; day in and day out.
Accept what life offers you and try to drink from every cup. All wines should be tasted; some should only be sipped, but with others, drink the whole bottle.