Swartberg Wingerde is a new project from winemaker Rudiger Gretschel. Swartberg Wingerde is a terroir driven range of wines where farming, soil health, vineyard manipulation, and fermentation are all considered to tell the story of the origin of the winery in an honest and truthful manner.
The Piekerneerskloof, a mountainous region in the Western Cape renowned for its citrus and rooibos tea farming, is in sharp focus amongst wine enthusiasts on the lookout for up-and-coming wine sensations and the area seems set to become the next South African rising star. The beauty of the Piekerneerskloof is a combination of rough wilderness, magnified by its altitude and the proximity to the West Coast of the Atlantic Ocean, which brings cool breezes making viticulture possible.
Rudiger searched for half a lifetime to find the perfect opportunity in Piekerneerskloof. He found it in a 1000 hectare property at the foot of the towering Swartberg Mountain. Bewildering in its untouched natural beauty, only a few hectares of land are under cultivation.