Vondeling Wines

About Winery and Wines

This working wine farm has a tranquil atmosphere with panoramic mountain and vineyard views, and scenic hikes with Table Bay and Mountain visible in the distance. This area is rich in indigenous fynbos and four species are unique to the Paardeberg mountain – Babiana noctiflora, Erica hippuris, Oscularia paardebergenis and Serruria roxberghii. This historic farm was originally named Vondeling, from whence the wines take their name. It was granted to Swedish immigrant Oloff Bergh by Governor Willem Adriaan van der Stel in 1704. Shady oak trees surround the graciously restored original Farm House, built in 1750. The farm has a three-centuries-old winemaking tradition dating back to the early 1700’s.

Englishman Julian Johnsen, Managing Director and Co-Owner, has been nurturing these lands with their 40-hectare vineyards for over twelve years. There’s been a notable swing to ‘biological’ farming recently with promising trials currently in progress in certain vineyard blocks. An innovative approach is using compost teas instead of fungicides with carefully monitored results which have been successful so far. This holistic approach includes strict vineyard management and practices like suckering and green harvesting in the younger vineyards. The older vineyards, which include Sauvignon Blanc planted in 1983 and Chenin Blanc in 1986, have come into perfect balance over the years. Crop yields range between six to eight tons per hectare. A favourable factor when it comes to the quality of the grapes is the cooling southwesterly winds which blow in every afternoon from the nearby Atlantic Ocean and keep temperatures around five degrees cooler than several nearby appellations. Soils range from granite-derived on the slopes to alluvial on the valley floor. Irrigation is rarely required. Cool southwesterly slopes and decomposed granite soils with moderate vigour are the perfect environment for growing Sauvignon Blanc and Chenin Blanc wine grapes. The more alluvial soils are best suited to Chardonnay and Viognier.