Muratie Wine Estate

Underfoot the land breathes, from the centuries-old oaks to the resting cellar and original homestead, a romance lingers of love, passion, grapes, art and life - Muratie Wine Estate the story of a wine farm in Africa.

Comfortable with visitors, but not crowds, the farm echoes old-world hospitality. The environment is authentic, the methods traditional and the surrounds, beautiful and unmanicured. The farm itself exudes honesty, humbleness and integrity - qualities and resonate in every drop of Muratie wine.

Situated at the foothills of the Simonsberg, Muratie Wine Estate tells the story of winemaking in South Africa, a history almost as old as the country herself.

It began in the lush valley of Stellenbosch in 1699. Laurens Campher met and married a young woman named Ansela van de Caab. She was mestizo - her mother was a slave of "volle kleur" and her father an early settler. They built a modest house with a thatched roof and planted the first vines of the farm. After her husband's death, Ansela became the first woman of slave descent to own land. Since then, a list of illustrious winemakers have bought maturity, through their expertise, to one of the oldest and most endearing wine estates in the Western Cape - amongst them Martin Melck, forefather of the current owners, Lady Sarah Alice Stanford and George Paul Canitz, eccentric painter and purveyor of fine wine and bohemian ideals.

In 1988 Ronnie Melck became the 21st owner, and in doing so, fulfilled a lifelong dream. This very popular wine man, possessed of a legendary palate, warm personality and in instinctive flair for winemaking, initiated the redevelopment of Muratie, which has taken the farm to its current chapter. Having left the Muratite legacy trust to his family the story continues under the dedicated management of his children, Rijk, Anton and Charla.

Winemaking on the Muratie Wine Farm is as much about the process as the end product.

While passion, tradition and a love for the land distinguish the growing and harvesting process, inherited expertise and modern technology combine to create quality wines. Home to the first Pinot Noir vines, the farm's varietals friendly culture and all the estate grapes are hand harvested. The result - award winning wines that are testimony to the winemaking philosophy of one of South Africa's top wine estates.