Oldenburg

Oldenburg estate is located in the Banghoek Valley (pronounced “bun hook” and meaning “scary corner” due to leopards roaming around in times past) about 8km from Stellenbosch. Adrian Vanderspuy was born on a neighbouring property, but left South Africa in 1967, returning only for brief visits. When the opportunity to buy the property came up in 2003, he leapt at the chance and began a full replanting of the vineyards with selected virus free clones and with the aim of producing small volumes of bespoke fine wines. The first wines were produced in 2007 and it was immediately clear that this was a special terroir. The influence of the Atlantic and Indian oceans leads to cooling breezes constantly blowing and this, along with the elevation in this hanging valley (300m to 410m) means it is considerably cooler than nearby Stellenbosch, seen in the freshness of the wines, their purity of fruit and European style elegance. Nic Van Aarde (previously of Warwick Estates) took over as head winemaker in 2018 and a new cellar and winemaking facility, powered by solar energy, opened for the 2019 harvest. The team encourage natural yeast populations to flourish in the vineyards using local flora and fauna as cover crops and sustainable farming. Nic is an advocate of non-intervention winemaking.