March at Diemersfontein: The people behind the Pinotage

Tuesday, 3 March, 2026

Diemersfontein

Being slap-bang in the middle of harvest time carries a particular energy here at Diemersfontein.

The vineyards are a hive of activity, the cellar hums with purpose, and every day concludes with the quiet satisfaction of work done well.

Harvest 2026 is progressing really well, guided by experienced hands, early mornings, and a shared understanding of timing and care. The fruit continues to arrive at the cellar in excellent condition, with optimal ripeness and promising structure. Long days have become routine, good coffee is taken super seriously, and conversations in the cellar revolve around detail, precision, and the small decisions that shape the wines you will enjoy in the years to come.

Pinotage has always held a special place in this rhythm. It asks for attention and rewards commitment; it responds to patience, resilience, and a willingness to adapt to the season. These qualities live naturally within the people who farm, pick, sort, and guide each vintage. The story of Pinotage at Diemersfontein is written by a team that understands the land, respects the craft, and keeps a steady sense of humour when the weather has its own opinions.

On 21 March, South Africa observes Human Rights Day, a day that honours dignity, opportunity, and the strength of an entire nation shaped by perseverance. Pinotage reflects these same qualities; it is distinctly South African, shaped by local conditions, and strengthened through careful cultivation over time. Growth requires patience. Character develops through challenge. Success comes from consistency, teamwork, and belief in what is possible. The spirit behind the variety mirrors the spirit behind the people who make it, and both continue to evolve with confidence and pride.

This month also brings an opportunity to celebrate that spirit in your glass. We are offering a special discount on the Diemersfontein The Prodigy Pinotage 2023, a wine that captures the energy of a new generation while staying true to the estate’s signature style. The Prodigy shows vibrant fruit, smooth structure, and the approachable character that makes Pinotage such a pleasure to share. It is an ideal companion for late-summer gatherings, relaxed evenings, or a well-earned moment of quiet at the end of the day.

As harvest continues and autumn begins to settle over the Wellington valley, we remain grateful for the people who make each vintage possible and for the community that enjoys the resulting wines with us. Thank you for being part of the Diemersfontein story!

The work continues, the cellar stays busy, and the team remains optimistic; someone has already volunteered to do the next quality control tasting.

Harvest-time savings at Diemersfontein

Diemersfontein The Prodigy Pinotage 2023: SAVE 10% – Now only R540 per case

Click HERE to shop.

Second harvest report: An overview of harvest 2026 by Francois Roode

For those of you who have been following the excitement of Harvest 2026 here at Diemersfontein, we’re delighted to share another overview of our progress in bringing you the next vintage of your favourite wines…

Only this past week, we finished picking our last blocks of Pinotage. The Pinotage did very well overall, even delivering a slightly higher yield than we initially expected. We’ve also harvested the Grenache Noir this past week, the backbone of our Rosé, so we are very excited to see what shade of pink these grapes will deliver.

Having finished the harvesting of all our Chenin Blanc blocks, these wines are going through their alcoholic fermentation at the moment. The entire cellar now smells like a fruit salad, because of the prominent pineapple, peach and citrus flavours that emanate from these wines.

We were also delighted with the quality of the grapes harvested from our Cabernet Franc blocks. Even though this varietal is prone to sun damage, we did some smart canopy management to allow a little more sun onto the bunches. This was done to avoid some of the excessive green characteristics normally associated with Cab Franc, but we are very happy that our smart foliage management avoided excessive exposure and instead delivered grapes that are in perfect condition.

Still on the cards for this harvest is to pinch the stalks on one of our Viognier blocks to vine-dry the grapes, which concentrates the flavour and the sugar levels. These grapes, looking like little bunches of raisins by the time we pick them, will then be used to make our deliciously indulgent Sweet Sue dessert wine.

One of the last varietals that will end up taking the journey from the vineyard to the cellar is the Malbec, also sourcing some fruit from slightly further afield to enlarge our production of the Carpe Diem Malbec Reserve.

So once all the grapes are eventually safely in the cellar, we will shift our focus to our olive orchards. As at the moment, the olives have started to undergo the onset of the ripening, changing from green to black, a sign that they are getting close to being harvested and then transformed into our Extra Virgin Olive Oil. Even though this is a little earlier than we expected, we remain subservient to mother nature dictating when to pick the fruit at their optimal ripeness.

Meanwhile, back in the cellar, we’re playing our very own version of Tetris by attempting to manage our available capacity as effectively as possible. We’re also busy getting plans in place to tend to the vineyards once harvest has been wrapped up. This includes a fertiliser program, introduction of a cover crop ahead of winter, and doing soil preparation for the new vines we are looking to plant.

And that’s it for now, friends; we’re in the home stretch of harvest 2026! The adage goes that hindsight is always twenty-twenty, so I’ll check in with you again once the harvest is done, to offer you a post-harvest overview of what to expect from our latest vintage.