What kind of farming was your estate originally involved in?

We have always produced wine, although the styles are different from what is the norm today. We used to produce mainly fortified wine, and were well known for quality muscadels. Our first big success was farming ostriches during the feather boom. We also farmed horses – first hackneys and then thoroughbreds. There have also been various forays into fruit farming. We still farm a bit of citrus, and in the past we grew apricots, peaches, prunes. We used to be the largest quince producer in the country.

Tell us more about the ostrich feather riches!

The ostriches were bred for their feathers, which were the height of fashion at the turn of the 20th century. At the peak of the boom one feather fetched £6 – which would buy a ticket from Cape Town to Southampton! There were two booms; the first started in about 1860, but the biggest came after the Boer War. It lasted until 1914, when the market collapsed. The reason for the collapse was twofold: the outbreak of World War I was a factor, but it was mainly as a result of a change in fashion after the invention of the motorcar. Because many cars had open tops, women needed more streamlined hairdos and the ostrich-feather bedecked headdresses disappeared!

What’s the best part of being a winemaker?

The best part is enjoying your own wines and seeing other people enjoy them. There are not many bad parts, but the worst is when all your hard work to produce quality grapes is ruined by a few hours of foul weather at a critical time. And then realising that it will be a full 12 months before you see good grapes again.

What is the key difference of Robertson’s terroir compared with the rest of the Western Cape?

Robertson is unique because it is the only region in the Cape that grows grapes on limestone. Some of the best wine-growing regions in France have limestone soils, such as Burgundy, Champagne, and the Loire Valley. Limestone gives wine minerality and elegance, and is a very easy soil to cultivate. Robertson also has a dry climate, so there is far less need to irrigate resulting in wines that are more environmentally friendly than those cultivated elsewhere in SA.

Tell us about the Manor House on the estate.

The Manor was built in 1914, which coincided with the end of the ostrich feather boom. My great-grandmother came from Oudtshoorn and had seen the feather palaces built by the ostrich barons, and was the driving force behind this project. They employed a Cape Town architect so the house was built in the ‘Cape Revival’ style. The house was built with seven bedrooms, but only one bathroom, which was must have been quite a challenge as the family had six daughters and two sons at the time! The house even has a sprung dance floor for summer balls. Unfortunately, due to the market crash, the money ran out so the finishes were not as high quality as was originally intended. When we renovated we had to fix a lot of things to get it to the standard that was originally intended. It now boasts nine en-suite bedrooms, and an enormous pool deck overlooking the vineyards.

What is your winemaking philosophy?

We keep things simple. All blocks are kept separate up to blending stage so we can trace their performance, and then we blend to maintain consistency. We do not want large vintage variations, but we do try and improve small things for each vintage.

Have you ever made wine out of anything other than grapes?

Yes, I have! I started fermenting things quite early, before I reached the age of 10. I have made wine from peaches, although it did not turn out as well as I thought it would! What I can recommend to students on a budget, is dissolving sugar in warm water, adding yeast, and allowing the mixture to ferment. When it is almost finished fermenting and still has a bit of sweetness, add lemon juice. The result is a potent alcoholic lemonade!

Win a night’s stay at the Excelsior Manor Guesthouse for yourself and a partner, including bed and breakfast, wine-tasting and blending. Click here to enter.

For further information, please visit Excelsior Estate's website.