A wine farm in winter might not show the verdant rows of vineyards or the blooming wildflowers and trees one finds in late spring and summer. But this time of year at De Wetshof Estate has a beauty of its own, a dramatic one where the vines are leafless and bare, showing their knuckled scions and shoots reaching for the skies like eerie thin fingers. The air is crisp and cold and the light sharply clear as it opens up the vineyards to the eye of the beholder.
There is a peacefulness. After their energy-sapping growing-season, the spent vines have shed their leaves and are now in a state of dormancy. Resting to recuperate. Mustering the energy and power that will be required when the first birdsong and warm breeze of spring awakens them, heralding the start of another period of growth. Then the vines will be fresh with the urge to ripen grapes for the next harvest.
As far as activities on the farm goes, this is the time to prune. The workers are out in the vineyards with their secateurs busy with the art of pruning, something as old as viticulture itself.
The goal of pruning will be familiar to gardeners in that it is a function of managing and regulating the plant-growth so as to obtain the best grapes in the volumes required at harvest.
Here teams of workers move through the vineyards, stopping at each vine. The dry shoots are briskly cut, trimming the growth and exposing the spur from where the next growth-cycle will occur. This is a task requiring concentration to prevent a wayward snip to the hand from a secateurs blade and knowledge to read the plant in deciding what to cut away and what to leave.
It is a magical time in the vineyards and on the farm, one of reflection about the harvest that was as the new wines are tasted and blended. And, although we are in the heart of winter, a slight tingling of excitement as the click of the pruners’ secateurs makes one wonder what the new season holds in store.
Introducing a new Chardonnay
As a pioneer of South African Chardonnay, at De Wetshof we are continuously seeking new ways of interpreting the grape variety that has made the estate world famous. The most recent addition to our range of seven Chardonnays represents a new chapter in South Africa’s Chardonnay provenance as this wine – The Shard – is the country’s first Chardonnay to be fermented and matured in Wineglobe, a 220l glass bulb imported from France which is revolutionising the wine world.
There are unique features to maturing wine in these glass vessels, as opposed to wood barrels, stainless-steel tanks or clay amphorae. Wood imparts its own flavour, and like concrete and amphorae, is porous, while stainless-steel is influenced by static electricity.
Wineglobes allow for a totally closed, unfettered environment in which the wine is permitted to express clarity of terroir and variety to the full. The precision and purity of the wine aged in the Wineglobes has allowed us to see De Wetshof Chardonnay and its terroir in a new dimension of clarity and linear focus, and is a welcome addition to our range of six Chardonnays and one Cap Classique Blanc de Blancs, also made from the noble white Burgundian grape.
The Shard 2024 was recently introduced to a select group of media at Marble Restaurant in the V&A Waterfront where guests were also exposed to the complete De Wetshof range, including the popular Limestone Hill Chardonnay from this year’s vintage.
The exuberant freshness and layered complexity of Limestone Hill 2025 can be attributed to this year's ideal harvest conditions which were cool and mild, the best in recent history.
Harvest 2025 commenced two-to-three weeks later than the average, the reason being a cool, mild spring, these conditions continuing into summer. This caused the whole vineyard cycle of bud-break, flowering, berry-set and ripening of grapes to slow down and draw-in complex fruit flavours. Despite some heat in January, here in Robertson we could literally count the number of 30°C and warmer days on one hand. And as a result, our Chardonnays are truly showing exceptional quality this year.
Cooler, slower ripening allows for balanced chemistries in the grapes – should one choose to look at the academic side of things. What is evident for all is the bright, crunchy freshness we saw in the harvested grapes as they arrived at the cellar, as well as this zesty life-affirming energy now evident in the latest release of our Limestone Hill.
Refurbished tasting room
De Wetshof’s popular tasting venue has undergone an interior refurbishment to the delight of visitors popping in for a wine tasting and a bit of Robertson hospitality. Besides the walls donning a warm coat of copper-tan paint and a more spacious tasting-area, a collection of curated crafts as well as some home-made condiments are offered for sale.
These include unique, stylish crockery, wooded toys for the kids, luxuriously crafted leather wine holders, and preserves made from the finest country ingredients. There is even an insect “hotel” which can be used to sustain the natural life of one’s garden critters. The De Wetshof shop was created to enrich the visitor experience by offering curated lifestyle items that complement and elevate the enjoyment of our wines and everyday living, and has brought a new element to one of the Cape’s most renowned destinations.
Even more reason to visit us in the heart of the beautiful Robertson Wine Valley.
