In the tender blush of spring, the Robertson winelands stir with a quiet rebirth. Among the budding vines, there is a fervent anticipation, a whispered promise of a harvest to come some three months from now, bringing a stirring of anticipation among those living and working in these winelands.
The earth breathes anew under the warm Western Cape sun, its veins pulsing with life. Winter in Robertson this year was cold, but dry. Fortunately, like most farms in the region, De Wetshof Estate’s vines are irrigated and good rains in their catchment areas have ensured the dams are full, ensuring the vines’ next phase of new growth can occur in soils bearing the necessary moisture levels. For water is life, too.
Visitors to our beautiful valley will find the air is thick with the scent of fresh growth, green shoots pushing defiantly through soil rich with history and memory of great wines past and greater ones to come. The days are longer and warm, the nights mild and quiet. It is the perfect time to visit Robertson for an immersion into an historical, noble wine culture where nature and provenance meet over hospitality and cool glasses of fine, delicious wine.
De Wetshof Chefs Lunch 2025
One of the unofficial highlights of the Cape Town foodie calendar is the annual De Wetshof Chefs Lunch. This initiative, launched in 2011, is an annual event where De Wetshof hosts a lunch for the Cape’s top chefs as a gesture of gratitude and appreciation for their role in curating the bridge between great food and fine wine.
Food and wine are inseparable. By creating the excellent restaurant and hotel offering for which South Africa has become renowned worldwide, our chefs provide the perfect platform for showcasing the country's fine wines.
Beyond this close relationship – where wine and food meet at countless Cape tables – the skill and creativity of local chefs also inspire. As Johann de Wet said at the recent Chefs Lunch:
"It is no small coincidence that the quality of South African wine has, over the past decades, grown alongside the phenomenal and ever-escalating excellence of our food offering. The better the food being served in our restaurants and hotels, the better the wine must be. So in this instance, chefs should not underestimate the role they play in inspiring us to make better wines."
In August, some 25 chefs from in and around Cape Town joined the De Wetshof team at Galjoen in Cape Town, a restaurant revered for its imaginative seafood. As the multi-course meal was presented, Johann and Peter de Wet, together with marketing director Bennie Stipp, shared convivial insights about the farm and its wines.
Galjoen’s inventive fish and shellfish dishes once again proved that Chardonnay is the true king of white wine when it comes to seafood, although many of the chefs present also pointed out that the De Wetshof Nature in Concert Pinot Noir makes many fish dishes delightfully moreish.
Competition season success
Spring in the Cape Winelands is also the season for wine competitions, and De Wetshof’s wines delivered a number of superlative performances, securing a collection of gold medals at three leading shows.
The standout performance was at the Michelangelo International Wine and Spirits Awards, where De Wetshof earned five awards – four for Chardonnay and one for Cabernet Sauvignon.
The gold-winning Chardonnays were The Site Chardonnay 2024, Finesse Chardonnay 2024, Bon Vallon Chardonnay 2025, and Calcrete 2024. On the red side, the De Wetshof Cabernet Sauvignon 2021 mined the final gold.
At the annual Veritas Awards, The Site Chardonnay 2024 secured a gold medal, while at the Rosé Challenge, the elegant Lilya Rosé 2025 won gold – underscoring its growing popularity and consistent quality.
According to Johann de Wet, CEO of De Wetshof, wine competitions play an essential role in the modern wine world, offering value to both producers and consumers when conducted with rigour and transparency:
“For winemakers, competitions provide an objective platform for benchmarking their wines against peers. In an industry where quality is often subjective and reputation can take decades to build, a medal or trophy offers credible, third-party validation of a wine’s merit. This recognition not only boosts sales and market visibility but also provides valuable feedback on style, consistency, and positioning.
Many producers use competition results as a diagnostic tool, measuring how their wines are perceived in comparison to others from the same region, variety, or vintage.
For consumers, competitions serve as a useful navigational aid through an increasingly crowded and confusing marketplace. A well-judged award reassures buyers that a wine has been blind-tasted and endorsed by experienced professionals. It can also highlight smaller or lesser-known producers whose wines might otherwise escape notice, broadening consumer choice and confidence.
By consistently gaining recognition at various wine competitions, both De Wetshof’s winemakers and the wine-loving public can be assured that our relentless commitment to crafting site-specific, authentic wines continues to reap rewards.”
To taste these wines and experience our Robertson hospitality, do pop into our tasting room for a heartfelt and immersive De Wetshof experience.
