De Wetshof
In a valley less that 100km away from the cool waters of the Atlantic and Indian Ocean, where currents from the Antarctic provide cooling afternoon and evening winds to the warm sunny days, you will find Robertson. Robertson is home to one of the most sought after wine regions in the Cape and home to one of the early pioneers of the wine industry – Danie De Wet, owner and winemaker of De Wetshof Estate.
Since the De Wet family arrived in the Cape in 1693, they have been actively involved in the South African wine industry. With this legacy, his love of the hills, mountains and the Breede River and his dad’s passion for wine making, Danie was coaxed into the wine industry. In those days a tertiary education in such an industry was the not the norm, yet Oom Johann De Wet – Danies father – sought out the best institutions of the day and found the Geisenheim Institute in Germany as the best option because of its cutting edge technology.
Danie arrived at the Geisenheim near Heidelberg in 1969, and ploughed his way through the three year course. He came back to South Africa armed with a host of ideas that at the time did not conform to the traditional viticultural and oenologocal principles and began to challenge the rigid importation system. He saw that winelovers everywhere were starting to experiment more readily with natural wines, particularly white and he, along with other forward thinking producers started bringing in their own clones through unconventional methods. Although this caused friction with the authorities it changed their attitudes to importation of virus free clones and today some of the most famous Chardonnays from South Africa emanated on De Wetshof Estate.
Being the pioneer of noble white grape varieties in the 1970’s and establishing De Wetshof Estate as the Chardonnay house of South Africa was a result of meticulous attention to detail, intuition and innovative use of advanced technology. Danie has been at the forefront of technology as it has evolved; constantly experimenting with ways to improve the quality of grapes going into his cellar, including the use of NASA satellite technology.
Layers of data captured from Space, aerial photography and computer linked weather stations all operating in conjunction with computer aided probes in the soil to test moisture content and finely tuned equipment to measure water retention in leaves, berries and the stems of vines give a comprehensive picture of the estate and its vineyards.
Toys for boys – hardly, each of these are vital tools, used judiciously and in conjunction with a deep understanding of the land on which Danie farms. De Wetshof has evolved its practices with the use of this technology to either assist nature or counter its periodic, harsh idiosyncrasies. This is evident from the numerous international awards and recognition that the owner, estate and wines have received. Danie De Wet has been the recipient of the States President Award for Export Achievement four times and as early as 1987 started his collection of international awards for his wine when he took home the Grand Prix D’Honneur at Vinexpo in Bordeaux, France from more than 900 wines worldwide. In 2001 he won the World Quality Commitment International Star Award in Paris and more recently the silver at both the 2005 International Swiss Airline Awards and 2005 Chardonnay Du Monde.
On turning off the main road, the impressive tasting rooms and offices are framed by a tunnel of beautiful Jacarandas. The tasting room is a replica of the Koopmans/De Wet House in Strand Street, Cape Town, dating back to 1701. The cellar is based on the renowned and historic First Customs House in Cape Town. Both buildings were designed by Louis Michel Thebault one of the renowned masters of early Cape architecture. The barrel vaulted cellar, with its impressive columns, is linked to the administration building by a five metre long tunnel, a section of which is used as a special tasting and dining room. A pair of bronzed Bateleur eagles soar out of alcoves on either side of the atmosphere controlled cellar, where Danie’s red and white wooded wines mature.
We have a selection of the fine Chardonnays the estate has to offer:
De Wetshof Bateleur Chardonnay – flagship of the estate
De Wetshof Lesca (or Finesse) Chardonnay – Slightly wooded
De Wetshof Bon Vallon Chardonnay - Unwooded
De Wetshof Nature in Concert Pinot Noir
