Wildeberg

Wildeberg is a relatively young wine estate in a very special location in Franschhoek, South Africa. The winery is situated on the mountain slopes above Franschhoek, on the edge of the Coastal Region. It is a rather rugged and natural area, with a lot of indigenous vegetation. Of the total area, only about 10 hectares are suitable for planting vines; the rest is deliberately left wild.

Wildeberg is literally a winery in the middle of nature. Only a small part of the terrain is planted with grapevines; the rest of the land remains wild. This natural environment plays an important role in the winery's philosophy.

From empty plot to winery

The beauty of Wildeberg is that it is not an ancient South African winery that has existed for generations. It is, in fact, a relatively young project.

Winemaker JD Rossouw was involved in the development of Wildeberg from the very beginning. He joined Boutinot in 2017 and contributed to the development of the estate, from an almost empty plot with a farm to vineyards, a winery, and its own barrel hall.

JD also has a very clear winemaking philosophy: as little intervention as possible and allowing the character of the vineyard to speak for itself. He describes it as winemaking where you primarily guide and do not try to impose your will on the wine.

The climate is quite extreme

Fun fact:

Wildeberg is located between the mountains and, according to JD Rossouw, receives about 2 meters of rain in a normal year. The area consists of fynbos and is rich in birds and other wildlife. It is certainly not a neatly landscaped wine park. This also fits well with the name Wildeberg.

The winemaking philosophy

Wildeberg operates strongly from the idea:

terroir first, winemaker in the background.

Many grapes are harvested by hand and then spontaneously fermented with wild yeasts. For various wines, whole bunches, older wooden barrels, and minimal intervention are used. The aim is not to make a technically perfect, stylized wine, but rather to allow the place and the character of the grapes to emerge.

And they look beyond just Franschhoek. The Wildeberg Terroirs series uses grapes from special vineyards in the broader Coastal Region, for example, old Chenin Blanc vines in Paarl and old Cinsault bush vines in Wellington.

And Kleine Oranjerie?

Kleine Oranjerie is a line within the broader Wildeberg story, but not the same as the most exclusive Wildeberg wines.

Wildeberg has several lines, including:

• Wildeberg
• Wildeberg Terroirs
• Coterie by Wildeberg
• Kleine Oranjerie
• Wild House

My favorite fact

Did you know that Wildeberg has planted vines on only about 10 hectares of its land? The rest of the land is deliberately left wild. The winery is situated high up in the mountains near Franschhoek and even receives around two meters of rain in a normal year. This rugged, natural environment forms an important part of Wildeberg's identity.