Porseleinberg

Farm

The Porseleinberg property was bought by Boekenhoutskloof in 2009 with the aim of producing top quality Syrah grapes for existing product lines. They decided to convert an old shed into a small cellar to produce one wine on the property with the rest of the grapes going to Boekenhoutskloof.

Winemaker, Callie Louw strongly believes that the vineyards benefit from a mixed farming model. They therefore have a couple hundred hens foraging in the vines as well as Nguni cattle and various vegetable crops.

Winemaker

The bearded, baseball cap-wearing characterful winemaker Callie Louw is described by South African wine writer Neil Pendock as «the Che Guevara of the Swartland». He, however, describes himself as a farmer, not a winemaker, and claims that excessive «winemaking» in the cellar is merely a cover-up for bad farming!

Wine style

The lone, unique wine produced here is described by wine critics as Cape Cornas. The first two bottlings in 2009 and 2010 quickly set a benchmark for Swartland Syrah.

The estate is certified organic and Porseleinberg is made in a very old fashioned way: Whole cluster fermentation, natural yeasts and minimal sulphur additions. The wine for the approx. 12’000 bottles of Syrah is matured for 16 to 24 months in concrete eggs and large barrels (2500L).