Upland Organic Estate

Tucked away in a corner, at the end of a dirt road leading out of Wellington in the Boland, you will find the rustic, unassuming organic estate, Upland. Upland – the name comes from the English for Boland – is a small QCS certified fruit and wine farm that has been producing world class organic Brandy, Grappa, Port and Cabernet Sauvignon for over a decade. Upland’s organic Grappa won the ‘World’s Best Grappa’ at the Guldkorken International Competition in Stockholm and its list of international and local awards is impressive.

What makes Upland unique is the dedication of its owners. For the past seventeen years, Dr Edmund Oettlé and his wife, Elsie, have implemented organic farming techniques. Organic farming needs to be economically viable and sustainable in the long term and therefore making use of natural fertilizers and pest control is not a quick-fix solution, but rather a slow, sustainable process. The Upland motto plays on the words ‘our products don’t ‘Cost the Earth’ and the Oettlé’s believe whole-heartedly in the need to be good stewards of the resources which Upland has been blessed with. The farming techniques they employ have resulted in a vast improvement and richness in the soil, which is reflected in the robustness of their wines. Organic grapes have small, loose berries, a high skin to juice ratio, and thus greater extraction and flavour than conventional grapes, which might look better and give bigger yeilds, but have less nutrients. Our wines are vegan and contain no added sulphites from 2009.

The implementation of organic methods of agriculture helps to maintain the balance of nature and ensures the production of high quality fruit without damaging the environment. This has resulted in an increase in the bird and animal life. The farm is a haven for a wide variety of species which are rare in the surrounding area. Upland products don’t Cost the Earth.