Waterkloof

Waterkloof - History - Past

In 1993 Paul Boutinot began his search for a vineyard site, it took him ten years to narrow it down to a small area on the southern slopes of the Schapenberg overlooking False Bay in the Cape. As soon as he was led up a steep gorge that opened into a hidden amphitheatre of potential, all his experience and intuition told him: this is it ! Waterkloof was born and the hard work began. Schapenberg (African for 'sheep mountain') lies almost in the middle of the embrace of the Hottentot Holland and Helderberg mountains. Its highest point is 300 metres above sea level and just under four kilometres from the False Bay coast.

Although grapes have been grown at Waterkloof since the early 1970s, fine wine production emerged when the farm was planted in the mid-1990s with some of the best material available. Paul Boutinot took over the property just before the 2004 harvest, but the first vintage bottled under the Waterkloof name came from the 2005 harvest.

Waterkloof present

Shortly after, Cellar Master Werner Engelbrecht and Farm Manager Christiaan Loots joined Paul and after soil testing, they determined which varieties, rootstocks and trellising systems to use. In 2008, extensive replanting and new planting was completed, with the vineyards now covering 53 acres of the 100-acre farm.
Finally, in 2009, a state-of-the-art gravity cellar, tasting room and restaurant were built at Schapenberg and Waterkloof began exporting its unique wines around the world.

Waterkloof sustainability

From the outset it was decided that the other half of the farm should be set aside to preserve the rare and lush natural vegetation, fauna and flora (fynbos) on the property, and in May 2008 Waterkloof was awarded Champion status by the World Biodiversity & Wine Initiative of the Wildlife Fund for their corporate efforts in this regard (click here to read more).
As a logical consequence of these efforts, and as a result of Paul's experience visiting vineyards and tasting at a number of biodynamic and organic wine producers around the world, it was then decided in 2008 to proceed with the conversion of Waterkloof into a fully organic farm with integrated organic farming.

Waterkloof Architecture

A proud winner of the prestigious Great Wine Capitals Best of Wine Tourism Award for Architecture and Landscapes in 2012 and 2013, Waterkloof is a beacon of architectural excellence on the Schapenberg Hills. The spectacular building design is based on virtues that reflect our winemaking style, such as honesty and transparency.

Waterkloof Wines

The aim is to produce 'honest' wines that express the unique location at Schapenberg. At Waterkloof we are fortunate to have a vineyard that is capable of producing naturally balanced grapes with their own character and soil conditions. In order to respectfully transfer this character and balance into the bottle, they believe it makes sense to transform the grapes into wine with minimal intervention and maximum care. Their vines are:

• Sauvignon Blanc
• Chenin Blanc
• Cinsault
• Mourvedre
• Pinotage
• Syrah
• Merlot