Simon discovered the Koelfontein Chardonnay a couple of years ago by ordering a delicious bottle on the terrace of The Tulbagh hotel. At that time he had never heard of it – nor indeed any wine estate in Ceres, which is much better known as a fruit growing centre.

The Conradie family, the seventh generation farmers who own Koelfontein, have abundant orchards but they also planted the first vineyard in the district, initially with Chardonnay, and they still only farm six hectares split between Chardonnay and Shiraz on the steep, south facing slopes of the Gydo pass just north of Prince Albert Hamlet. 

They launched their own wine label in 2002, but it remains a small project without their own winery. The Chardonnay is made by the highly respected John Seccombe (of Thorne & Daughters) at Gabrielskloof; and the Shiraz by Danela Janse, who has recently taken over from Cape Winemaster Dewaldt Heyns at Shiraz specialist Saronsberg in nearby Tulbagh. 

These wines exemplify perfectly how wines from the Cape so often sit between “Old” and “New” world styles: though both are well-oaked and full-flavoured, they also show restraint and balance.