The Indwe Estate
At the southern-most tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, one finds the ‘Cape of Storms’, or more commonly, Cape Agulhas. On this peninsula lies the Elim ward and Overberg region, where we source the grapes for Indwe Sauvignon Blanc. Indwe is the Xhosa name for the Blue Crane, South Africa’s national bird. It is an endangered species and endemic to South Africa, particularly the Overberg region. The Blue Crane is very special to the amaXhosa and amaZulu, often associated with warriors and royalty.
Owner and Winemaker is Trizanne Barnard. During her productive vinous career, she has seized every possible opportunity to broaden her knowledge and experience, pressing them for every drop of goodness they offered, enriching her life, her work and her wine. With a B.Sc Agric under her belt she stepped into the real world of wine, completing harvests in Western Australia, Alsace, Bordeaux, Rhone and Douro Valley.
Back on home soil, after a year at Klein Constantia she was challenged with setting up a winery in the Helderberg. After four successful years,she decided it was time to venture on my own, creating her own project.
The Indwe Estate
At the southern-most tip of Africa, where the Atlantic and Indian Oceans meet, one finds the ‘Cape of Storms’, or more commonly, Cape Agulhas. On this peninsula lies the Elim ward and Overberg region, where we source the grapes for Indwe Sauvignon Blanc. Indwe is the Xhosa name for the Blue Crane, South Africa’s national bird. It is an endangered species and endemic to South Africa, particularly the Overberg region. The Blue Crane is very special to the amaXhosa and amaZulu, often associated with warriors and royalty.
Owner and Winemaker is Trizanne Barnard. During her productive vinous career, she has seized every possible opportunity to broaden her knowledge and experience, pressing them for every drop of goodness they offered, enriching her life, her work and her wine. With a B.Sc Agric under her belt she stepped into the real world of wine, completing harvests in Western Australia, Alsace, Bordeaux, Rhone and Douro Valley.
Back on home soil, after a year at Klein Constantia she was challenged with setting up a winery in the Helderberg. After four successful years,she decided it was time to venture on my own, creating her own project.
The Vineyards
The historic mission settlement of Elim on the Agulhas Plain comprises 6 500 hectares of land.  Half of this land is under agriculture and for the past one hundred years has been cultivated and the remaining + 3 000 hectares of Elim ferricrete fynbos is managed by the Moravian Church and the community at the Elim mission station.
Elim was established in 1824 by Moravian missionaries and sacramental wine was required for church services, and the first vineyard planting in this region subsequently occurred over 100 years ago however viticulture didn’t really establish until 1997 when it resumed again.
First Vineyard plantings: 1996 – Lands End. After Lands End, The Berrio planted the next vineyards in 1997.
Producers in Elim:
Total hectares of vineyards 129.16 Ha = 319.161 Acres
White grape varietals found on Elim: approximately 80% Sauvignon Blanc, 15% Semillon and the rest is small parcels of Viognier, Nouvelle.
Indwe Pinotage Coastal Region is made from 100 percent Pinotage.
Pinotage is a true South African grape variety, Our signature grape smilar to the Blue Crane being our national bird. Indwe Pinotage grapes are meticulously sourced from our grape producers along the Coastal region of the Western Cape ensuring complexity, depth and purity of fruit. The wine is layered with sweet cherry notes, and subtle hints of mocha and vanilla flavors.
This wine is floral, exuberant, with lengthy smooth tannins, and metallic notes.
This cuvée takes its name from a small parcel of the Adrianna Vineyard that is completely covered with oval white stones and was the site of an ancient riverbed. The abundant stones provide optimal drainage and extreme temperatures. They absorb heat and moderate the nights, but also function like ice cubes after a very cold night. Stony soil Malbecs tend to be extremely aromatic, rich and luxurious, just like the River Malbec from Adrianna. This wine can be enjoyed young or aged for decades.
Pair with grilled meats.
Review:
There is an usual stony austerity in the 2021 Adrianna Vineyard River, cropped from a cold year when the full clusters fermented in concrete with a slightly shorter maceration and an élevage in a 2,000-liter oak foudre and the rest in stainless steel. It has a moderate 13.4% alcohol with very high acidity (8.2!) and a low pH (3.37), incredible parameters of freshness. The wine was closed and took time to take off in the glass, revealing a very elegant and subtle personality, with the silky texture of the very fine tannins, pristine aromas and flavors and a sense of harmony that was moving. It's powerful but extremely elegant in that rare combination of clout and energy, a wine of light, aerial, with some ethereal qualities, delicate and refined. This combines the cool place and high altitude, the cool year and the stony soils, to deliver a stunning Malbec that goes well beyond the variety. Bravo!
-Wine Advocate 100 Points
Far Niente Napa Valley Cabernet Sauvignon is made from 88% Cabernet Sauvignon, 6.5% Merlot, 2.5% Malbec, 2.5% Petit Verdot, 0.5% Cabernet Franc.
Beautiful aromas of dark plum, red cherry, licorice and warm baking spices open onto a plush and silky palate layered with plum, spiced cherry and cassis. A classic Napa Valley Cabernet, fine-grained tannins and lively acidity support the wine throughout, while the finish is refined and polished.
Review:
Very precisely polished and focused wine with aromas of black cherries, blue berries and violets followed by green bell pepper, black ink and gravel. Underlying umami notes, too. Full-bodied, firm yet finely grained juicy tannins with bright acidity that balances out the palate. Beautifully integrated toasty notes and baking spices on the mid-palate and in the finish. Flourishing and artful wine that will age gracefully.
-James Suckling 96 Points