South Hill Vineyards

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South Hill Vineyards

South Hill was previously known as South Hall Farm and before that, was made up of two subdivisions, Jan Niemandsbosch and De Hoop. The Elgin Valley is famous for top quality apples and pears, and the farm used to be planted with fruit orchards.

The cold winters, cool summers and the deep fertile soils which made the valley the obvious choice for apple farmers also means that influential and respected wine makers are now investing in Elgin.

South Hill was purchased by a consortium of four South African business men in May 2001, two of whom bought out the others in mid 2006, and has seen some dramatic changes since. The neglected apple and pear farm has been transformed into a premium wine estate. Development continues and a total of 30 hectares of vineyards, eventually producing around 250 tons of quality grapes, will be processed and bottled on the farm when it is complete.

Planting
Before any planting decisions were made, the help of top viticultural and terroir consultants was enlisted. Francois Knight conducted an in depth terroir analysis and Tienie Dupreez Consulting handled the soil investigations. The expertise of top viticultural consultants were then employed with Andrew Teubes currently consulting in order to ensure that vineyard practices keep up with the latest developments in the field.

Varieties
Twelve hectares of Sauvignon Blanc were planted in 2003 and 2004. This cultivar has already excelled in the area due to the cool climate. What is surprising is the extent of the red cultivars, especially Cabernet Sauvignon and Shiraz. Any reservations were quickly dispelled by respected viticulturists who points out that even Cabernet Sauvignon prefers moderate temperatures during ripening, in order to develop complex flavour compounds. Moderate temperatures also allow the grapes to ripen phenolically, without developing excessive sugar levels and highly alcoholic wines.

Management
In a ground breaking show of faith in the farming abilities of our black economic empowerment neighbor, Vuki, the owners have entrusted them to manage all farming operations on South Hill. With the Vuki management overseeing our highly motivated team under the watchful supervision of foreman Koot Niemand, the South Hill vineyards are in very capable hands. General management and winemaking responsibilities are handled by Sean Skibbe who is ably assisted by Lana van der Vyver who looks after the finances and office administration. The focus is on building skills and mutual respect throughout the team. South Hill's neighbors are Ross Gower, who established Klein Constantia and was winemaker there for 18 years; Mike Dobrovic from Mulderbosch; Giles Web from Thelema, and farms such as Iona and Tokara Highlands. Neil Ellis can also be found in the area sourcing grapes for his top wines. Elgin is fast moving into the international winemaking arena.