Waterkloof Wines

In 1993 Paul Boutinot commenced his search for a vineyard site with the potential to produce truly fine wine with a defining sense of origin. The classic areas, capable of growing naturally balanced grapes such as the Cote d’Or, Chablis, Paulliac, Barolo, etc. were either unavailable or unattainable (rich men’s toys), so he had to find a new classic. It took ten years to narrow the search down to a small area on the south-facing slopes of the Schapenberg, overlooking False Bay in the Cape. As soon as he was led up a steep ravine opening out into a hidden amphitheatre of potential, all his experience and intuition told him: THIS IS IT! Waterkloof was born, and the hard work began.

After ten years of searching, we believe to have found a unique vineyard site, capable of producing truly fine wines with a real sense of place. It is therefore our aim to grow grapes, which are as healthy, balanced and characterful as our natural circumstances will allow. We believe that this can only be achieved by cultivating on a farm that is truly alive and in tune with its natural environment- from the rocky soil in which the vines grow, right the way through the surrounding eco-system.

From the outset, it was decided that half of the farm should be set aside to preserve the rare and abundant natural vegetation, fauna and flora (fynbos) situated on the property and in May 2008, Waterkloof was awarded Champion Status by the World Wildlife Fund’s Biodiversity & Wine Initiative, for its enterprising endeavours in this regard. Following logically from these efforts, and as a result of Paul’s experience visiting vineyards and tasting from a range of biodynamic wine producers around the world, it was then decided in 2008 to begin the conversion of Waterkloof to a fully-fledged biodynamic farm. Conversion is now complete and in 2012 we began the official certification process.

Biodynamic farming is an imperfect, natural agricultural process of cultivation based on the “sensitive intelligence” of an interconnected natural world. As Biodynamic farmers, we work to create a diverse, balanced ecosystem that generates health and fertility as much as possible from within the farm itself.

Our aim is to produce “honest” wines that truly express our unique site on the Schapenberg. At Waterkloof we are fortunate enough to be looking after a vineyard, capable of producing naturally balanced grapes, imbued with their own character and sense of place. To respectfully transmit this character and balance into the bottle, we believe it makes sense to turn those grapes into wine with minimal intervention and maximum care. We monitor, we do not dictate. With this in mind, all fruit is hand-picked and handsorted. Following this careful selection, our red and white grapes are handled differently, but are both treated with an equally natural approach.