Farm

EXPLORE A 360° VIRTUAL TOUR OF THE FARM

beau constantia view from top

The Location

A mere 20 minutes from Cape Town City’s center lies Beau Constantia, a well curated escarp of rolling vineyards, floating concrete and rocky mountainside. In a shy kloof, steep North East facing slopes summit the Vlakkenberg, from where both the Indian and the Atlantic oceans become visible. From the outset, the unique site called for a masterful eye and design approach that respects its terroir – a wine term that refers to a place’s character.

The heritage

When taking in the landscape of this future-centric farm, it is hard to believe that it used to be a goat farm. That chapter came to a close during the all-consuming fires of 2000 which left nothing but a thick stand of alien vegetation. In the year 2002 the Du Preez family purchased the steep slice of foreign forest with the intention to restore the site to its original pristine state. That meant costly alien-clearing, the establishment of a firebreak around the border of the farm and extensive soil studies which naturally led to the establishment of vineyards. The first vines were planted in 2003 with the help of dedicated farm manager, Japie Bronn.
megan wine maker beau constantia

The people

Whether architecturally or viticulturally, everything the Du Preez family and their team have built has been through minimum intervention. Today, the resultant estate and vineyards grow from the site in complete harmony with their captivating surrounds. Their glass-encased tasting room is permeable to the landscape and provides a lens into the natural environment, creating a constant state of transition as the vineyards change with the seasons. It is a space that embraces change as the basic rule of nature, as elegantly as their carefully created range of wines.

The philosophy

Their philosophy of minimum intervention echoes sensorially from ground to glass and winemaker Megan van der Merwe has left no stone unturned when it comes to creating wines with a strong sense of place. With only 12 hectares of vines that tenaciously cling to the near vertiginous mountainside, their production is limited to what one of the most extreme viticultural slopes in the Western Cape can deliver. Limitless, however, is their commitment to quality. They have a zero-compromise approach when it comes to growing the best quality fruit and take exactly that position in the cellar.

OUR WINES