Chardonnay's Champion: Celebrating De Wetshof Estate

Hello, fellow wine lovers!

This week on Winemaker On Fire, we're thrilled to feature Johan de Wet of De Wetshof Estate, a trailblazing third-generation winemaker who embodies the estate’s spirit of visionary leadership, innovative spirit, and reverence for his family’s rich winemaking heritage.

De Wetshof’s legacy began in the 1970s, when Johan’s father, Danie de Wet, secretly introduced Chardonnay vines to South Africa, forever changing the country’s wine landscape. Today, Johan carries forward this pioneering spirit, as De Wetshof remains committed to crafting world-class Chardonnay while advancing their sustainable practices and commitment to their unique terroir.

By weaving together tradition, innovation, and a reverence for their land, De Wetshof Estate remains at the forefront of South African winemaking. Join us as we delve into the captivating story of Johan de Wet, his family’s legacy, and the continuous evolution of this iconic winery.

“As wine farmers, we know that we are only custodians of our land and its vineyards, and to be sustainable, one has to conserve and protect the land for future generations.”

Chardonnay's Champion: Celebrating De Wetshof Estate

Nestled in South Africa’s Robertson Valley, De Wetshof Estate’s rise to becoming the country’s ‘House of Chardonnay’ was built on a foundation of vision, courage, and risk-taking. Third-generation winemaker Johan de Wet stands at the helm, carrying forward his father Danie’s legacy of pioneering spirit and viticultural heritage.

Danie de Wet sparked a revolution in South African winemaking with his clandestine introduction of Chardonnay vines into the country in the 1970s. A visionary unafraid to break barriers, Danie transformed the Cape’s wine industry, laying the groundwork for De Wetshof’s reputation as the premier producer of Chardonnay in South Africa.

Today, De Wetshof stands as a bastion of terroir-driven winemaking, doubling down on its sustainability efforts and community education programmes fostering the next generation of wine lovers.

With an unwavering commitment to adaptation, innovation, and tradition, Johan de Wet continues to chart a course for De Wetshof’s future. Join us as we delve into the fascinating story of how this legendary winemaker is shaping the landscape of South African wine and beyond.

Johan, as a third-generation winemaker at De Wetshof Estate, how has your family's heritage influenced your approach to winemaking and running the estate?  

I see this first and foremost as a privilege. Worldwide, generational family wine farms are recognised as places whose wines bear the characteristics of provenance and legacy, something the wine world deems important. A wine farm where viticulture and winemaking span generations shows an ethos of love for the land and commitment to it, as well as underscoring familial pride in the wine it produces and sells.

Certainly, a family farm where three generations have been making wine has a lot of human capital to adorn the brand's image with stories and sometimes colourful history. But the current generation draws on the influence of its forebears, takes the lead from all they have achieved, and remains truly committed to perfecting these and taking the farm and its vision into a new era.

For me, managing De Wetshof is a privilege and an honour, and this sense of pride spurs me on towards continuously seeking ways we can do things better, with gratitude for those who laid the groundwork for our success.

De Wetshof played a pioneering role in introducing Chardonnay to South Africa. What inspired your family to take that risk, and how did it shape the estate's reputation as South Africa's eminent Chardonnay House?  

My father, Danie, grew up on a De Wetshof that was making bulk wine to sell to brand owners, as well as being a mixed farm where livestock and fruit were also part of the business.

Like most Cape farms in the 1950s and 1960s, the thought of making estate wine under our own label was not deemed a viable proposition. Big liquor corporations owned the brands and labels; farmers supplied them with bulk wine and grapes.

As he tells us, Danie's approach to wine changed when, in 1969, he went to study at the Geisenheim Institute in Germany, one of the world's leading places where people from around the world are trained in viticulture and viniculture. The scientific and detailed approach his professors had towards soil, viticulture, and winemaking showed Danie there is much more to winemaking than fermenting huge tanks of Chenin Blanc and Muscadel and selling it to corporate producers who will bottle it under a non-descript label. You dream of the correct grape varieties suited to your specific soils and making wine under your own label that bears your reputation.

As his studies progressed, Danie, in conjunction with his teachers, began identifying grape varieties that could be suited for growing on De Wetshof, all with the aim of one day making our own wine. And so it was that there in Geisenheim, over 50 years ago, Chardonnay was identified as a variety that could be suited to the climate and chalky soils of Robertson, with the potential to make Chardonnay express a true sense of place.

This Danie wanted to do, and the fact that he had become infatuated with Chardonnay during his studies and travels through Europe made him more determined to accomplish just that.

Returning to De Wetshof in the early 1970s, the problem was that no Chardonnay plant material was available. And to import any new material and establish it, was a laborious process of quarantine and certification that took up to two decades.

Thus, Danie and a few other like-minded wine farmers brought in Chardonnay vine cuttings from Europe surreptitiously, propagating them and establishing a tiny Chardonnay industry at the Cape that was, by the rule book, "illegal."

There were consequences for those involved, but at the end of the day, the regulatory shackles were loosened as a result of the Chardonnay pioneers convincing the authorities that South Africa needed a new cultivar like Chardonnay if it was going to compete in the international wine space.

Danie de Wet and De Wetshof played a major role in establishing Chardonnay, and as a result, we have become synonymous with Chardonnay due to our part in introducing the grape to South Africa. This legacy, as well as consistent wine quality, has brought us to where we are today, being seen as South Africa's House of Chardonnay.

Can you share some insights into the unique terroir of De Wetshof Estate and how it contributes to the distinct character of your Chardonnay wines?  

We make six Chardonnay still wines and one Blanc de Blancs Cap Classique, all from De Wetshof's 200ha estate vineyards. Each wine's grapes are sourced from site-specific vineyards expressing their own unique traits, and this diversity of geographic sites allows us to produce an array of different wines from Chardonnay, with each wine expressing the soil, aspect, and climatic nature of where the different vineyards are.

Limestone is the predominant feature here. Robertson has the highest free limestone soil content of any South African wine region, allowing for wines of low pH levels, ensuring freshness, bright acidity, and the ability to age. Wines made from soils where limestone combines with a substantial clay component give us broader wines with fruit notes and a palate weight cloaked in richness.

The wines originating from vineyards set on shale and broken rock, and less clay give the wines a mineral complexity and a classical leanness, bringing vivid Chardonnay flavours of citrus, nuts, and dry flowers to the fore.

For me, the most satisfying is presenting a tasting of six De Wetshof still wines, all made from the Chardonnay grape and distinctly recognisable as Chardonnay, yet being six individual, different wines, and then explaining that this is purely the result of terroir.

De Wetshof is recognised as one of the 50 WWF Conservation Champions for its biodiversity-friendly and regenerative farming practices. What drove your commitment to conservation, and how do you balance sustainable practices with high-quality winemaking?  

This is where legacy and the influence of previous generations once again come to the fore. My late grandfather, my father, and my brother Peter and I have always been conservationists at heart due to our love of and respect for the natural environment we find ourselves in. The notion of abandoning these values for the sake of profit has never entered, and will never enter, the De Wet family's mindset.

Also, as wine farmers, we know that we are only custodians of our land and its vineyards, and to be sustainable, one has to conserve and protect the land for future generations. We also believe that only healthy vineyards in a natural environment will reward you with the purity of varietal and site expression in the bottle.

De Wetshof has set aside large parts of the estate to protect local fauna and flora. Can you elaborate on the specific conservation efforts undertaken and the impact they have had on the local ecosystem?  

Large parts of De Wetshof have been set aside solely to protect the local fauna and flora, particularly alongside the riverbanks and in the deep ravines that carve their way into the Cape Fold Mountains. Here you can still find grysbok, duikers, hares, porcupines, snakes, mongooses, meerkats, otters, and caracals roaming free. The Robertson Bird Club identified 92 species in one day, from the tiny malachite kingfisher to the majestic African fish eagle.

To ensure that wildlife remains undisturbed, we keep the building of roads and tracks through the property to a minimum, and all our fences are regularly maintained and repaired.

For several years now, De Wetshof has also had a rigorous programme of removing invasive alien vegetation and replanting indigenous trees, especially close to the river. This not only helps to restore natural vegetation but also helps with water conservation.

Another eye-catching initiative is evident on the steep slopes of De Wetshof, where young Chardonnay vineyards have purple vygies (a type of flowering daisy) planted as a cover crop between them.

Cape wine farmers might just have the most unique cover crops in the world, with both the Cape floristic region and succulent Karoo biomes on our doorstep. These local plants not only help to maintain soil health but also reduce pests within the vineyard, which in turn reduces the need to use insecticides. It's a win-win for nature and people.

De Wetshof actively encourages children from the farm community to learn about the natural world around them. Can you share more about this initiative and how it aligns with your long-term goals for sustainability and conservation?  

At De Wetshof, our team works hard to instill love and respect for nature in our farm community. One way in which we do this is through the De Wetshof farm creche, where the children of our employees are actively encouraged to learn about the natural world around them.

The children have their own conservation club where they are taught about the unique plant and animal species found here, and they take regular field trips away from the farm. The belief is that these early lessons will set the children up to become responsible adults who will pass these values on to future generations.

Looking to the future, what are your plans for further enhancing De Wetshof's sustainability efforts and maintaining its reputation as a leader in both winemaking and conservation?  

At De Wetshof, we will always try to do what is best for our environment and its people. It is a core value and priority, and a lot of time, effort, and money is put into sustainability in general. It is important that this ethos extends beyond the borders of De Wetshof and that surrounding properties and their people also subscribe to it. As long as we are a sustainable company, our people and the area will be uplifted. I don't believe that the reason to do this is for advertisement or promotion; this is something we do for future generations, the longevity of our soil and vines, and wildlife.

With happy people and healthy vines, our wines will be world-class, maintaining their reputation, which, to my mind, can be attributed to social and environmental sustainability.

Thank you, Johan, for sharing your time and invaluable insights with us. We wish you and the De Wetshof Estate team continued success in the years to come.

Until next Tuesday, keep your glass full and your taste buds curious.