The Best of Wine Tourism and Wine Tourism Ambassador Awards, an initiative by Great Wine Capitals, annually rewards and celebrates innovation and excellence in wine tourism across the greatest wine regions in the world, including South Africa. Each year wine estates and wineries throughout Cape Town and the Western Cape enter the competition, demonstrating how they are promoting world-class wine tourism experiences.
The Conservation Pioneer Award, sponsored by the World Wide Fund for Nature (WWF), recognises estates that go above and beyond to ensure environmentally responsible farming practices while delivering top-tier visitor experiences.
Located in the heart of the Bottelary Hills in Stellenbosch, Hartenberg Wine Estate has long been producing exceptional wines through environmentally responsible farming methods. The Mackenzie family, owners since 1987, strive continuously to safeguard the estate, driven by the philosophy to "leave Hartenberg in a better condition than when we started".
Kobus Potgieter, managing director of Hartenberg, expressed his gratitude for the recognition: "It is truly special for the Hartenberg team to receive this award, which acknowledges the collective efforts over many years to create a healthier environment. I want to especially thank every individual on our team for their dedication and meticulous management, which has allowed Hartenberg to be pioneers in regenerative viticulture. This journey is worth every effort. As the saying goes: 'We do not inherit the Earth from our ancestors; we borrow it from our children.'"
One of the estate’s most significant environmental undertakings lies within its 170-hectare property – a 65-hectare wetland. Beginning in 1995 and spanning a decade, Hartenberg embarked on an ambitious mission to reclaim the wetlands from invasive alien vegetation and restore fynbos gardens, fostering the ideal conditions for the indigenous
flora and fauna to flourish. Today, the wetland remains rewilded and serves as a crucial habitat for wildlife. It is a sanctuary to over 85 bird species, including Cape Francolins and
Blue Crane. Additionally, the wetland shelters various animals such as bucks, porcupine, and caracals.
In 2023, Hartenberg also earned Conservation Champion status from the WWF for its ongoing efforts in environmental conservation.
As early as 1997, cellarmaster Carl Schultz identified climate change and global warming as a looming challenge for the Western Cape wine industry. "Climate change is a reality and for the Western Cape in South Africa this means temperatures are increasing, rainfall is decreasing, and soil health suffers. We have had to plan and adapt to ensure the longevity of our estate, its people and our wines," says Schultz.
This foresight led to Hartenberg becoming the first South African wine estate to recycle 100% of its wastewater. For over 20 years, the estate has maintained a completely closed water system, recycling all wastewater from the cellar, tasting room, restaurant, and residences. The estate uses cleaned effluent to irrigate the vineyards, with the 2km reedbed playing a vital role in naturally filtering the water.
In 2006, the estate shifted entirely to biological pest control, replacing harmful chemical pesticides with natural predators like ladybirds and indigenous wasps, Anagyrus and Perminutus, to control pests like mealybugs, carriers of the leafroll virus. The end result of this is that all vineyards younger than twenty years continue to be virus free. Rather than chemical baits, resident owl populations naturally regulate rodent populations. Recent innovations include Indian runner ducks introduced to control snail and insect populations in the vineyards.
Soil health on the estate has become a central focus for Hartenberg. Schultz, who has led the estate’s winemaking for over three decades, emphasises, "Our soil and terroir are our biggest assets, and if you don’t improve them, you will increasingly struggle to run a successful farm. So, we don’t do this for marketing – that’s just a byproduct – but we feel we have a strategic future responsibility, from both an ecological and a business point of view."
In 2010 Hartenberg’s esteemed viticulturist, Wilhelm Joubert, started experimenting with multiple different cover crops between vineyard rows to improve soil health and fertility. By 2019 his approach evolved to what it is today: prioritizing purpose-specific, multi- species cover crops that increase biodiversity, soil health, and that can serve as nourishment for the cattle on the estate. Since 2017 the estate has also practiced intervine ruminant grazing, a core principle of regenerative viticulture.
Hartenberg’s herds of Ankole, Dexter, Nguni cattle, and most recently sheep graze the cover crops between the vineyard rows, improving soil health by naturally depositing nutrients through their manure, urine and even saliva.
To prevent soil compaction, the cattle are moved daily and graze in a manner known as high-density, controlled grazing: "If you move them more often, the regrowth is faster and the crop specie diversity increases. We started seeing clovers that we didn’t plant, and new grass started coming up under vines. Dung beetles also showed up out of the blue. Altogether nine different mushroom species made their debut, of which five were edible," explains Joubert.
Hartenberg is at the forefront of this innovative farming method, having completed their baseline Ecological Outcome Verification (EOV) in October 2023, conducted by TruQuest, the South African Savory Hub. The EOV was repeated a year later to verify soil health improvement.
Guests visiting Hartenberg Wine Estate can witness this dedication to conservation firsthand. Visitors are invited to enjoy wine tastings and leisurely lunches while taking in the estate’s breathtaking natural surrounds. For deeper engagement, guests can join a regenerative vineyard tour through vineyards and rewilded wetland, which offers firsthand views of regeneration in action.
At Hartenberg, exceptional wines are part of a larger experience – one where nature, heritage, and conservation come together to create an unforgettable experience.