With our nose to the ground and our eyes to the stars, we’re creating a worthy contribution to the wines of the Swartland.

At The Observatory Cellar we observe time-honoured winemaking practices. With great skill and respect for the fruit of the gnarled old bush vines, the grapes are carefully harvested by hand, early in the morning, before the sun gets too scorching hot, as it does in the Swartland during the height of summer, January to March.

This hands-on way of doing things is both by intent and through necessity; we prefer to live and work close to the earth and its offerings and our vineyards, yields and wine making philosophy require delicate hand harvesting. We like it this way. And so do our grapes.

The care we bestow on them shows in the individualistic star quality of the wines.

JOE VAN DER WESTHUIZEN – AN ACCIDENTAL WINEMAKER

It must have been written in the stars. What had started out as a part-time pastime for architect/wine-lover Joe van der Westhuizen, soon evolved into a consuming passion.

Seduced by intrigue and excitement of creating wine, he embarked on a journey that would transform the old wine farm they had bought into a productive enterprise. This launched him on a trajectory different from the environment of designing and constructing buildings to one of creating exceptional wines.