Vriesenhof

Vriesenhof in the Stellenbosch wine region is a family-run winery. The estate with the peacock in its logo sees itself as a modern, unconventional company and reflects this in its wines.

The beginning of the Vriesenhof Vineyards

The Coetzee family immigrated to South Africa in 1679 and settled in the region around Table Mountain. Although they have owned land since then, Jan Coetzee was the first of the family to study viticulture in the 1960s and turned his knowledge into business. In 1980 he acquired the Vriesenhof estate. In 1987, friends bought the neighbouring farm Talana Hill, and just a few years later the two joined forces to form the current Vriesenhof Vineyards. In 2006 the entire estate was replanted with Pinotage except for a small piece.

Nature makes its way

The Vriesenhof team sees itself as a servant of nature, in keeping with the motto that nature creates and man only guides. Accordingly, the Vriesenhof wines do not bow to any trend, but present the terroir, as well as the year and the challenges the plant had to overcome. At a time when everyone is encouraged to go their own way, Vriesenhof embodies this philosophy and allows the wines their own space to develop.

Vriesenhof vines

In the beginning, Vriesenhof started with

• Cabernet Sauvignon
• Cinsault
• Pinotage

Soon Chardonnay, Merlot and Cabernet Franc followed. The last to join the Vriesenhof family was Pinot Noir. While Jan Coetzee still runs Vriesenhof and looks after the winery today, he handed over the winemaking business to Nicky Classens, who first earned his spurs in France and then refined his skills under the management of Jan Coetzee. 

Vriesenhof and the Rhinoceros

A special position in the Vriesenhof portfolio takes the Conservation, a Bordeaux-style cuvée to support a conservation project to save South Africa's wildlife, more precisely the rhino. As a sign of this support, the rhinoceros also adorns the label of this wine.