De Toren
De Toren is one of the first wineries in South Africa to producing classic Bordeaux-style wines. Since its foundation, the De Toren vision has been and remains the reinterpretation of the Bordeaux concept and to create unique South African wines from the five grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot. De Toren is one of the first wineries in South Africa to producing classic Bordeaux-style wines. Since its foundation, the De Toren vision has been and remains the reinterpretation of the Bordeaux concept and to create unique South African wines from the five grape varieties Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Malbec and Petit Verdot.
This acclaimed winery is located at the highest point of the Polkadraai Road in the Polkadraai Hills, boasting a view over False Bay and onward to the Atlantic Ocean.
Red wines from De Toren
Spirits from De Toren
from De Toren
The name of the vineyard farm «Kleine Uitzicht» - or «Little Vista» in English - relates to its splendid 180-degree panorama. Ranging from Table Mountain in the west, across Muizenberg and Somerset West on the Atlantic Ocean in the south, then on to the mountains of the Jonkershoek Nature Reserve in the east, the views and scenery are simply breathtaking.
As visitors progress up the road towards the vineyards they are immediately struck by the sight of the tower («de Toren» in Dutch and the Afrikaans vernacular). De Toren was the first wine estate in South Africa to convey its wine over the various levels exclusively by gravity. This is achieved via a lift installed inside the tower that employs this force to gently displace the wine, rather than the harsher mechanical procedure using pumps.
A sensitive approach and a profound respect for nature in the care of the vineyards, combined with meticulous attention to detail in the cellar environment, have determined all processes from the outset. From those very early beginnings, Albie Koch was responsible for De Toren's outstanding reputation and overwhelming success. Unsurprisingly, by 2016 already, De Toren had positioned itself among the top 10 red wine producers in South Africa according to the South African Wine Index. Just one year later, the winery was voted New World Winery of the Year by the leading Wine Enthusiast Magazine.
De Toren has been mainly in Swiss hands since 2018 with Cédric Nicolas Schweri as Managing Partner. Albie Koch is CEO and responsible for the wine farm.
Charles Williams took over from Albie Koch as Cellar Master in 2011. Charles, also a Managing Partner, is passionate about and cultivates the knowledge and skills passed on to him, with a love for nature, to produce unique wines full of character that truly reflect their origins, the soils and the microclimate of South Africa in a unique way in the glass..
Producer
Weingut Schloss Gobelsburg
The first written evidence of Schloss Gobelsburg dates from 1074, but it was in 1171 that the Cistercian monks from the Zwettl monastery obtained the first vineyards at Heiligenstein and at Gaisberg in the Kamptal. Visitors entering the baroque-style complex built on a slight mound sense this tradition, this spirit, this experience accumulated over the centuries. The view takes in all the surroundings, from the village of Gobelsburg to the vine-covered hills of Heiligenstein. Inside, near the parish church where couples say yes for life, when the weather is pleasant, the pretty and romantic garden invites all to rest for a while.
Castello del Terriccio
Castello del Terriccio is one of the largest agricultural estates in Tuscany (Province of Pisa) with its own microclimate. The approximately 1700 hectares extend from the northern end of the Maremma to the Tyrrhenian Sea. The vineyards enjoy a south-southwest exposure with the warming and luminous effect of the sea. The Mediterranean maquis and the eucalyptus trees growing all around it not only protect the grapes from the wind, but also imbue them with the scents and aromas that give the wines of the Terriccio their distinctive flavour.
Domaine de la Commaraine
The beauty behind the walls of Château Commaraine
The Burgundian municipality of Pommard has a classic, historic ambience with most of the buildings and walled vineyards (clos) intact, exuding a peaceful and tranquil atmosphere. The small, romantic village square conveys a slightly exotic feeling to its visitors – an unusual sensation in rural Burgundy indeed!