Steenberg Vineyards

The oldest farm on the Cape of Good Hope, Steenberg Vineyards is located at the south end of Cape Town, right at the entrance to the peninsula whose tip forms the Cape.

A Lübeck woman and the Steenberg Vineyards

Founded in 1682, Steenberg V ineyards is the wine estate with the longest history on the Cape of Good Hope. The history of the estate is nothing short of extraordinary. It was founded when Catharina Ras leased 25 acres of land. The immigrant from Lübeck was an extremely unusual woman who made her decisions and ran her estate independently at a time when women's rights were not yet an issue.

She had no less than 5 marriages, which often ended in the death of the husbands in Africa, which was still wild at that time, at the hands of wild animals or natives. Legends say that on the day of the death of her second husband, she herself hunted down the lion that killed him.

Visits by guests to the Steenberg Vineyards often ended with wild descriptions of the circumstances there, probably partly due to the contemporary lack of understanding of a self-confident, independent woman. 

The "Swans" of Steenberg Vineyards

Originally, the estate was called Swaaneweide - Swan Meadow. A name that goes back to the confusion of South African Spur-winged Geese with swans. These animals still roam freely around the estate today. Viticulture at Steenberg Vineyards finally began in 1695 with Frederik Russouw.

Even though a man succeeded Catharine, his wife took over the farm as soon as Nicolas died. After a checkered history of different owners, including an inverstment company in the 90s, Graham Beck, a South African wine magnate finally took over the estate in 2005 and developed it into a luxury resort with restaurants, hotel and golf course. 

At Steenberg, the focus is on white

With 70% of the vineyard area at Steenberg Vineyards , white grape varieties predominate:

• Sauvignon Blanc with 64% of the total area
• Semillon

Next to it the red varieties

• Merlot
• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Syrah
• Malbec
• Nebbiolo

With the proximity to the sea, cool air enters the vineyards of Steenberg Vineyards, the mild winters provide plenty of rain, which is well stored in the granite soils of the terroir.

Cultivation at Steenberg Vineyards is done with respect for nature, natural pest control is used and predators are not interfered with in the hunt, contributing to healthy flora and fauna. 

The land makes the wine

In keeping with the tradition of history, Elunda Basson is now also a woman cellar master at Steenberg Vineyards. The farm is managed by Johann de Swardt, who has been taking care of the vines since 1999 and for whom closeness to nature has always been very important. His team's motto is that they "just put the grapes in the bottle," making it clear that Steenberg Vineyards wines are primarily the product of their terroir.

Elunda Basson - the master of pearls at Steenberg

Elunda (pictured right) starts with the 2020 Sauvignon Blanc vintage at Steenberg, but already has a remarkable career in the wine industry. Her great passion is the Méthode Cap Classique - that is, bottle fermentation according to South African standards in the style of champagne. In this she is one of South Africa's sparkling wine specialists. Elunda has won numerous awards for her creations, including the 2018 Veritas Vertex Award. After studying viticulture and enology at Elsenburg Agricultural College, she gained international experience in California, but also traveled to France and Italy in her role as vice president of the Cap Classique Association. Elunda has also been drawn to Scandinavia, Great Britain and the Netherlands. Now she is happy to turn her attention back to non-sparkling wines at Steenberg. In addition to her work as a winemaker, Elunda Basson is also in demand as a juror, for example at the IWSC, the Veritas Awards, or the Cap Classique Challenge.