Diemersdal Wine Estate

About Winery and Wines

In 1698 Simon van der Stel granted farmland to free burgher, Hendrik Sneewind. Later, the farm changed hands to Captain Diemer when he married the widow Sneewind, and thus Diemersdal was formally established. An inventory found in an old leather-bound book dating back to 1705 lists 45 wine barrels, a wine press and glass bottles, indicating that wine has been made on the Estate for over three centuries. Six generations of Louws have practiced their art with skill and passion at Diemersdal since the Estate passed into their hands in 1885. More than 12 decades later, Diemersdal is a well-known landmark in the lush Durbanville Valley, one of the Cape’s oldest wine regions. Situated on the cool slopes of the Dorstberg, with Table Mountain as backdrop, Diemersdal provides the perfect setting for the production of unique, soulful wines. The farm covers 340 hectares of land, with 180 of those under vines. The rest consists of grazing land, as well as a sizeable area of Renosterveld, one of the most threatened vegetation types in the world and an asset we work hard to conserve.The homestead itself is well preserved and the palm trees planted decades ago by Grandfather Matthys Louw have grown as tall as the whitewashed gables, whispering tales of a bygone era. Diemersdal Wines are the perfect expression of the distinct Durbanville terroir; the sum of the complex interaction between topography, soil content and climate. The grapes that go into Diemersdal Wines are grown under optimal conditions, in deep red Hutton soils, featuring decomposed granite and a high clay content.The vineyards, situated on the northern and southern slopes of the Dorstberg, are subject to glorious cooling mists that roll in each afternoon from the Atlantic Ocean.

The grapes are grown under dryland conditions, with no irrigation, which allows them to uniformly ripen and develop concentrated flavours.The combination of excellent soil, varying aspect, slopes and the high rainfall of 700mm per year all contribute to the uniqueness of Diemersdal Wines. At Diemersdal we blend the old and new worlds of winemaking. In pursuit of the award-winning red wines that give expression to the rich diversity of the terroir, we use traditional open fermenters to enhance the natural flavours and soften the tannins in our grapes. We take great care in choosing the barrels for each cultivar. For the white wines, we have a brand new state-of-the art winery where we adopt an approach of minimum intervention to conserve prominent varietal character. To continually produce unique wines, our winemakers pay meticulous attention to detail and spend time experimenting with new techniques, barrels and yeasts.