Buitenverwachting

Only a small mountain range separates the Buitenverwachting winery from the Cape of Good Hope. However, the wines from one of the best wineries in South Africa are worth the visit alone. 

The Buitenverwachting winery - beyond all expectations

The Buitenverwachting sauvignon blanc has been considered one of the best white wines for years, and with the Bordeaux-style Christine wine, the winery has now made a name for itself in red wine as well. Who would have thought that possible 30 years ago, with such an eventful history, of constantly changing owners, mismanagement and hungry baboons. 

Buitenverwachting Constantia

The Constantia wine region between the Indian and Atlantic Oceans is one of the oldest in South Africa. Wine from the then Dutch colony was highly traded in Europe. But owners of the dreamlike property came and went - the winery was neglected, the fame was lost. in 1980, the German couple Müller took heart and restored the winery as well as the gleaming white mansion - with a small interlude of marauding baboons, which in the 1990s gleefully consumed over half of the vines and devastated the well. Today, the estate invites guests to linger under palm trees. The gourmet restaurant is considered excellent, the wines anyway, and the view over the Constantia Valley is gorgeous. Buitenverwachting is considered locally as a pioneer of numerous social projects for their employees and sustainable and organic cultivation for nature. Buitenverwachting's own little world south of Cape Town has a lot to offer, especially a multi-layered terroir for first-class wine.

Terroir and winemaking team

The terroir was discovered by the son of the millers, Lars Maack. The business student decided against a secure career and decided to run the winery - without expertise. Courage that was also rewarded. With the support of cellar master Hermann Kirschbaum, winemaker Brad Paton and a few helping hands, Buitenverwachting is in better shape than ever. Absolute top wines and innovative experiments increase the reputation of the winery with every bottle. Such top quality cannot be attributed solely to the winemaker's craft, yield reduction and manual selection of the best grapes. 

A major role is played by the granite soil, from which the vines feed with minerality and freshness. Sunny days and cold nights, blown by cool ocean winds, cause slow ripening so that fruity aromas concentrate in the vines. Which fruits these are is decided by the individual vineyard sites. Most of the plots on Constantiaberg develop tangy white wines with a bouquet of yellow fruits such as melon or apple. The Husseys Vlei vineyard expresses sauvignon blanc with green aromas. And the north-facing vineyards provide ideal conditions for the velvety Bordeaux-style red wines, which are left on the skins for 28 days and aged for 2 years in barrique. A total of 150 hectares for the best sauvignon blanc and emerging red wines from South Africa.

The Buitenverwachting wines

• The clear flagship and possibly the number 1 from South Africa is the Sauvignon blanc Constantia from Buitenverwachting. Cheeky, fruity, tangy - an absolute top wine from overseas.
• You get a liquid fruit basket with gooseberry, green pepper and tropical aromas with the Buiten Blanc, which reveals a simple and straightforward pleasure - perfect for the terrace.
• With the Christine red wine, named after Christine Müller, Buitenverwachting has now made a name for itself in the wine world for red wines. The harmonious unity of power and finesse as well as the wood aging make Buitenverwachting's Christine very popular not only within South Africa.
• Playfulness is no stranger to the winemaking team - you can taste it with the Blanc de Noir Rosé. The cuvée of Cabernet Franc, Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot was vinified like a white wine despite the red grape varieties. 

The Buitenverwachting team is pleased because of its financially successful Sauvignon blanc wines. Because that opens them freedom to try new things. Whether fresh plots of Gewürztraminer or pure wines that live primarily from the strengths of the wine region, the expectations of all involved are exceeded by every vintage. Discover the stars from Constantia - the top wines of Buitenverwachting.