Piekenierskloof

The Piekenierskloof takes its name from the Dutch soldiers known as the 'piqneniers' (pikemen), who were sent to the 'Groote Clooff' during the Second Khoi-Dutch War in 1673 to protect convoys crossing this mountain pass. A rugged wilderness with naked rock formations. The gnarled bushvines of this region include Grenache noir vines said to have been planted on the Piekenierskloof plateau as early as the early 18th century. Legend has it that while exiled on the island of St Helena in the early 1800s, Napoleon Bonaparte drank a sweet wine that came from these Grenache noir vines. A unique terroir of dry farming at an altitude of 550-750 m above sea level and the cold, harsh sea influence of the west coast form these individual wines.

Piekenierskloof has not been known as a wine region for very long. In recent years, interest in this type of old, non-irrigated vineyards has increased sharply in South Africa and Piekenierskloof has come back into the picture. Today, Piekenierskloof wine is made from Grenache Noir, Cinsault and Chenin Blanc, among others. During the day it is warm. At night there is a lot of cooling due to wind from the Atlantic Ocean. These conditions are very favorable for the ripening of the grapes.