Cape Agulhas and more: 10 producers to know from Africa’s southernmost vineyards

See Malu Lambert’s regional profile:Agulhas Wine Triangle: South Africa’s southernmost wines

This article contains 10 producer bios:

1. Black Oystercatcher Wines
2. David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner
3. Land’s End Wines
4. Lomond Wines
5. Olivedale Wines
6. Sijnn Wines
7. Strandveld Vineyards
8. The Giant Periwinkle
9. Trizanne Signature Wines
10. The Drift

Black Oystercatcher Wines

The Human family has farmed on Moddervlei, where the winery is housed, for generations. Owner and winemaker Dirk Human grew up here and knows the landscape intimately, knowledge that armed him to plant vines in 1998. A nature lover, he named his winery after the rare, local Black Oystercatcher birds. He specialises in Sauvignon Blanc, with some reserve wines which are only available at the farm, as well as Sémillon and Syrah.

David Nieuwoudt Ghost Corner

Well-respected winemaker David Nieuwoudt of the altitudinous Cederburg Wines sources grapes from Elim for his Ghost Corner range, established in 2007. The wines consist of a Sémillon, a Sauvignon Blanc, The Bowline (a sauv-sem blend), a Pinot Noir as well as a Wild Ferment Sauvignon Blanc. The name Ghost Corner was inspired by the treacherous Cape Agulhas coastline where more than 130 ships have been shipwrecked through the ages.

Land’s End Wines

Land’s End was first established in 1996 by a group of legendary movers and shakers of the South African wine industry. It belonged to Hidden Valley Wines for a period, and latterly to Du Toitskloof Winery in Rawsonville, where the wines are produced using grapes sourced from Elim, Agulhas and the Cape South Coast. The labels show the historic candy-striped Cape Agulhas Lighthouse, whose light was first lit in 1849 and is still operating today.

Lomond Wines

Located on the slopes of the Ben Lomond Mountain, Lomond Wines was first launched in 2004 as a joint venture between Distell and Lomond Properties. In 2017 Geoff McIver and David Mostert bought the farm. The vineyards are planted on 18 different soils and the blocks are vinified separately. Lomond is a member of the Conservation Servitude with Fauna and Flora International and is a founding member of the Walker Bay Fynbos Conservancy.

Olivedale Wines

Owned in partnership with Belgian investors, winemaker Carl van Wijck steers this eccentric ship with co-winemakers Abe Beukes and ‎Jolene Calitz Le Roux. The estate is in Swellendam and the name refers to the area’s indigenous wild olive tree. While there is a serious lean towards natural winemaking, wines are made commercially too. Olivedale is home to the Triangle’s only Chardonnay as well as some niche South African varieties.

Sijnn Wines

This isolated Malgas winery makes small volumes of unfiltered, unfined wines. The cellar was built with the surrounding river stones, designed by owner David Trafford. It was while on holiday in the region in 2000 that David and Rita Trafford were inspired by the Portugal-like landscape. They’ve since planted ten hectares of Southern European and Mediterranean varieties and named it Sijnn, the word being Khoisan for riverbank. Charla Bosman is the winemaker.

Strandveld Vineyards

The most windswept and the most southerly vineyard in Africa, Strandveld is planted with a majority of Sauvignon Blanc, as well as Sémillon, Shiraz, Pinot Noir and Grenache Noir (with limited plantings of Viognier, Mourvèdre and Albariño). The farm was acquired in 2001 by a group of shareholders. Vineyards were planted in 2002 and winemaker Conrad Vlok joined in 2004. The old farm shed was converted into a wine cellar and Vlok made the first wine in 2005.

The Giant Periwinkle

Legal counsel by day, winemaker Pierre Rabie first established The Giant Periwinkle in his spare time. Now in partnership with friends Karen van Helden and Robert Stelzner, they acquired a property in Baardskeerdersbos with 3-hectares of vineyards, a cellar and tasting room. Rabie favours non-interventionist winemaking and has a deft hand with Sauvignon Blanc. The lighter reds are worth seeking out too. He has also started a brand called Koueberg Wines, bottled only in magnums.

Trizanne Signature Wines

Surf and sea loving Trizanne Barnard had enjoyed a successful career as a contract winemaker before going independent with her own eponymous brand. She has been sourcing grapes from Elim for over a decade and makes site-expressive Sauvignon Blanc, Sémillon and Syrah, with a wild-card Barbera in the mix. Her other region of focus is the Swartland. She lives in Kommetjie, and makes her wines down the road in Noordhoek.

The Drift

Bruce Jack’s The Drift Farm is located in Napier. A well-known figure in the industry, he has been in the wine business for 30 years. At The Drift he crafts a small estate range that celebrates red wines with crunchy, savoury fruit and spice. In an exciting development, Jack and Francis Pratt have recently partnered to make the critically acclaimed ‘The Berrio’, a project they worked on together 21 years ago at one of the founding wineries of the area.

10 producers to know from Cape Agulhas and beyond

Related content

Cinsault: South Africa’s new star from old vines

Expert’s Choice: South African old-vine Chenin Blanc

Reyneke: South Africa’s holistic wine farm