Philosophy
Bottelary is a magical place. It’s where we were born, where we grew up, where our family’s been for generations.
Vineyard
Bottelary is a magical place. It’s where we were born, where we grew up, where our family’s been for generations. It’s not flashy or fancy. It’s a great community of real farmers who bring out the heart and soul of this place.
Thousands of years ago, Bottelary used to be an island, and people grazed their cattle on these mountains. The soils are ancient granite and make well-structured wines. Our farm is mostly north-west facing, allowing for intense sunlight that gives our wines a generosity of fruit. Yet, the cooling ocean breezes from Table and False Bay, coupled with low cloud cover, keep everything in check, refining flavours, giving us better acidity and adding layers of nuance to our wines. It’s this play between generosity and restraint that gives a specificity that’s unique to Bottelary and our farm.
Our focus varietals are Chenin Blanc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Pinotage, which haven proven true to the area and are emblematic of Stellenbosch. Having farmed here since 1946, we are proud to have many old bush vines at Kaapzicht – we even have the second oldest Chenin Blanc vineyard in South Africa planted in 1947. We believe in caring for our vines so that they can go another 30, 40, maybe even 200 years.
Kaapzicht is in the process of moving to organic and regenerative agriculture. We believe what’s better for the earth is better for your plant and if it’s good for your plant, it’ll make a better wine.
We are always learning from our vineyards. The exciting part is that we’re nowhere near our full potential yet. That would be boring. Hopefully my kids, or even their kids, will be a step closer.
Bottelary is our home. It’s where we were born, where we grew up, where our family’s been for generations. It’s a magic place.
Winemaking
I never decided to become a winemaker. I think when it’s so woven into your family’s identity, winemaking isn’t a choice. It’s part of you. We work with vines that my great-grandfather planted, farming choices my grandfather made, and wines that my dad dedicated his life to.
At Kaapzicht, our terroir creates wines that are rich and opulent. I believe that winemaking it about finding your path and then linking it to what your farm or terroir can give you. It’s a fine balance between understanding what people want, and also being ballsy enough not to chase every trend, but to be true to your origin and house style. Ultimately, I just want to make wine that everyone wants to drink because it’s great. If your wine is the first bottle that’s empty at a dinner table, you’re always doing well.
People
You can talk about terroir being the soil and the climate, but to me, terroir is about the people. It’s about our passion and how we teach each other from one generation to the next. Without people, we’re just some passionless plants on a hill.
Kaapzicht is special because of its people. This is a family business, but to us, family doesn’t just mean the Steytlers, but all the families working on the farm and living here, some of whom have worked on Kaapzicht for two or three generations. They are the custodians of this place. At Kaapzicht, we’re 60 people working towards the same goal: to make the best possible wine this terroir has to offer.
