Gordon and Nadia Newton-Johnson
Winemaking husband and wife duo Gordon and Nadia Newton Johnson are behind our Syrah Mourvédre No.1 and Chardonnay No.3. Their family-run estate is in the Hemel-en-Aarde (Heaven on Earth) region of South Africa and their vineyards are some of the most striking we’ve ever seen; lush, green vines set on slopes towered by a mountainous landscape and facing towards the twinkling waters of the Atlantic Ocean.
But this doesn’t just make for a beautiful backdrop; sloped hills facing breezy winds, granite-rich soil, and cooling sea mists create the perfect environment to produce precise and elegant wines.
Gordy and Nadia are incredibly passionate about flavour purity and natural farming, resulting in an excellent wine that is consistent in quality and flavour.
Hattingh de Villiers
Winemaker Hattingh de Villiers at Muratie Wine Estate in Stellenbosch is behind our Cape Vintage No.2. Hattingh and the team are passionate about wine sustainability and cultivation, something that is equally as important to us.
Their grapes are handpicked and hand-sorted to ensure only the best are chosen, and even the vineyards themselves are kept pest-free through vigilant flocks of geese and ducks rather than environmentally unfriendly pesticides.
Nathan Valentine
Nathan Valentine is the winemaker behind our No. 4 wine, a blend of Riesling, Gewurztraminer and Muscat Ottonel. Nathan joined Villiera Wines as a full-time winemaker in 2016 having worked in the tasting room in his student years. Family- owned Villiera Wines began in 1983. With 400 hectares to their name, the Grier family dedicate around half to vineyards, and the rest as a wildlife reserve.
The team adopted eco-friendly winemaking early on and are hugely proud of their ‘green’ practices, from a solar powered winery, to their commitment to rehabilitating indigenous trees. Not forgetting their flock of 1000 Peking ducks of course, who are on pest control among the vines!
Chris Williams
Chris Williams is the man behind our No.5 Grenache Blanc. Twenty years ago, Chris and his friend James sat around the kitchen table, and on a shoestring budget launched The Foundry, a wine collection that now has numerous accolades and awards to its name. But it wasn’t until 2019 when Chris decided to focus on The Foundry full-time, after an illustrious career working at some of the best vineyards across the world, including as cellar master at fellow Stellenbosch wine estate, Meerlust.
Chris is passionate about producing wines that people will truly enjoy drinking, and works closely with a handful of growers, sourcing grapes from across the Cape to ensure he’s getting the very best from each variety.
Johnnie Calitz
Johnnie Calitz from the Glen Carlou wine estate just outside Stellenbosch is responsible for our No.6 Cabernet Sauvingon and Shiraz blend. Johnnie grew up around winemaking from a young age, working every school holiday on his family’s wine farm in Calitzdorp, a tiny town on the Western Cape of South Africa known for producing amazing port-style wines.
Under the watchful eye of viticulturist, Marius Cloete, Glen Carlou’s vines benefit from a wonderful Mediterranean like climate, paired with cool Southerly winds that blow off nearby False Bay. The vines are also planted in granite and clay-rich soil from the hilly landscape in which they lie at under the towering backdrop of Simonsberg Mountain.
Ginny Povall
Ginny Povall is the self-taught winemaker behind our No.7 Pinot Noir. Ginny left America and settled in South Africa, founding Botanica Wines in 2009 after falling in love with the Cape winelands. She subsequently purchased Protea Heights, a farm in Stellenbosch’s Devon Valley.
Protea Heights benefits from its position on southeast facing slopes with cooling afternoon breezes during the summer. Ginny is incredibly passionate about regenerative agriculture, meaning she uses organic farming methods that helps build biodiversity in the area.