Waterkloof Winery

Waterkloof is situated on Schapenberg Hill in the Helderberg sub-region, and nestles almost in the centre of the embrace of the Hottentots-Holland and Helderberg mountains, its highest point 300 metres above sea level and a scant four kilometres from the False Bay coast. They produced their first wine in 2005 and now produce some of the finest, well structured and most elegant wines in South Aftrica. To many, the intensively farmed district around the town of Stellenbosch is the wine producing area in South Africa. A variety of soils and locations ideally suited to the flourishing of a wide variety of grape cultivars, has seen Stellenbosch continue to dominate the South African wine scene in terms of prestige. Within the Stellenbosch wine growing region, there are various sub regions, the Helderberg being the coolest. It is one of the most visually dramatic areas in the Cape, with the Hottentots-Holland and Helderberg Mountain ranges creating a powerful backdrop against which the valley descends into vineyards and finally onto the scenic coastline of False Bay. Wines produced here are heavily influenced by cool sea breezes and ideal soil conditions. This allows for longer ripening periods and all the associated benefits for the production of fine wines. Schapenberg is increasingly recognised as one of the premier cool-climate growing areas in South Africa by various authorities, and has seen a great deal of investment. Waterkloof represented the last major opportunity for further vineyard development in the area, and we are passionate about our endeavour to create limited volume wines that can hold their own against ultra-premium wines both locally and internationally. We follow a minimalist approach in the winery and interfere as little as possible during the winemaking process.Traditional winemaking methods, including working with open-top fermenters for red wines, allowing wild yeast fermentation to take place, whole-bunch pressing and the use of gravity where possible, are used.

 



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