Lockstock and wine barrel: Waverley Hills

Waverley Hills is one estate making exceptional wines that also has exemplary farm practices.

We can sing the praises of vegan and organic wines as much as we like, but the truth is that unless the wine is good it just doesn’t matter how ethically it was made.

Waverley Hills is one estate making exceptional wines that also has exemplary farm practices. This month, Waverley Hills Organic Wine and Olive Estate launched new labels in honour of the estate’s sustainable history.

The environmentally friendly agricultural methods applied by estate owners, the Du Toit family of Brenn-OKem, started in 2000.

“Our labels always needed to tell that story,” says Kobus du Toit, who owns the farm with his brother, Wynand, and their mother, Myra.

Fynbos is central in the new designs as, for Waverley Hills to be certified as organic, a significant portion of the land has to be home to the national flower and fynbos, heathland resembling similar environments in Europe, Australia and South America growing in nutrient-deficient soil under tough climatic conditions. So nearly 20% of the farm has been set aside for conservation.

Waverley Hills’ new Saugvignon Blanc/Semillon is a crisp addition to their wine list. With a grassy flavour and herby aromas, it’s an easy-drinking wine.

For a fuller-bodied wine, you should eye the Grenache 2017. While it’s also quite fruit driven, it has great freshness combined with smooth and lasting tannins. The estate wines are priced from R70 to R90 and the premium range wines from R130 to R230.