Growing grapes in South Africa is a tough gig. As a result vast swathes of low-yielding, but precious old vineyards are constantly being pulled out across the country, in favour of more economically favourable citrus trees.

But as Danie Carinus told me, ‘you can’t sit around with mates at night and eat mandarins’.

Danie and his cousin Hugo are grape-growers to the stars in South Africa. Danie is a 5th generation farmer, but totally innovative in his approach to business.

It was on a trip to California 15 years ago when he noticed that vineyards like To-Kalon and Georges III were getting all the acclaim. There and then he decided this was the only viable way forward for the highest quality South African vineyards.

As a result he has a roll-call of iconic winemakers working with his fruit, including Lukas van Loggerenberg, Chris Alheit, Peter-Allan Finlayson, and David & Nadia Sadie.

Danie’s simple but powerful philosophy is to grow the best possible fruit and find a talented winemaker to facilitate it into bottle.

It’s time to make the soils and the vineyards the rockstars again.