OUR STORY
“The more you celebrate your life,
The more there is in life to celebrate.”
Oprah Winfrey
A TALE OF
TWO OCEANS
The Zoetendal story starts with sunken ships and drunken sailors – a dramatic debut! It was the year 1673. The 448-ton Zoetendal, carrying a rich load of rice grains on a return voyage from present-day Jakarta, rounded the dreaded Cabo das Agulhas. Captain Block’s boisterous crew were a tad inebriated at the time, no doubt belting out songs in celebration of their success. But before the effects of the liquor had worn off, the ship was taken by the turbulent currents and dashed against the rocks at the southern-most tip of Africa.
A STORY OF
SURVIVAL
The surviving stragglers made their way ashore to find the sweet waters of a freshwater vlei. They named it Zoetendalsvlei, in memory of their sunken vessel, now lost to the deep. They also found succour with the local Chainoqua clan, whose formidable chief Dorha, a much-esteemed cattle trader, was well-known to the VOC functionaries at the Cape. Through the kindness and guidance of these local Khoikhoi, the Zoetendal survivors were able to make their way back to their kith and kin at the Cape.
A LONGING FOR
LIGHT
Years later, in 1817, Michiel van Breda introduced sheep farming to the region. He not only bred the first South African Merinos, but fought passionately for the first lighthouse to be built – on land he donated, as a result, no doubt, of witnessing one too many wrecks.
A WARD OF
WINE
Skip forward a few centuries, and farmer Johan de Kock, forming a local collective known as Land’s End, helped to bravely launch viticulture in the region. The first 15 hectares of vines were planted in the Elim ward in 1996, in what was to become the newest winemaking frontier of the world. In 2004, De Kock went solo and launched his own label, Zoetendal, producing remarkable boutique wines whose top notes take their cue from their equally remarkable terroir. Indeed, cultivars and wines from the Zoetendal estate have been used to make up award-winning vintages under expert vintners like Charles Hopkins of De Grendel.
A TALE OF
two oceans
The Zoetendal story starts with sunken ships and drunken sailors – a dramatic debut! It was the year 1673. The 448-ton Zoetendal, carrying a rich load of rice grains on a return voyage from present-day Jakarta, rounded the dreaded Cabo das Agulhas. Captain Block’s boisterous crew were a tad inebriated at the time, no doubt belting out songs in celebration of their success. But before the effects of the liquor had worn off, the ship was taken by the turbulent currents and dashed against the rocks at the southern-most tip of Africa.
A story of
survival
The surviving stragglers made their way ashore to find the sweet waters of a freshwater vlei. They named it Zoetendalsvlei, in memory of their sunken vessel, now lost to the deep. They also found succour with the local Chainoqua clan, whose formidable chief Dorha, a much-esteemed cattle trader, was well-known to the VOC functionaries at the Cape. Through the kindness and guidance of these local Khoikhoi, the Zoetendal survivors were able to make their way back to their kith and kin at the Cape.
A longing for
light
Years later, in 1817, Michiel van Breda introduced sheep farming to the region. He not only bred the first South African Merinos, but fought passionately for the first lighthouse to be built – on land he donated, as a result, no doubt, of witnessing one too many wrecks.
A ward of
wine
Skip forward a few centuries, and farmer Johan de Kock, forming a local collective known as Land’s End, helped to bravely launch viticulture in the region. The first 15 hectares of vines were planted in the Elim ward in 1996, in what was to become the newest winemaking frontier of the world. In 2004, De Kock went solo and launched his own label, Zoetendal, producing remarkable boutique wines whose top notes take their cue from their equally remarkable terroir.
A BIOME OF
GREAT BEAUTY
The farm, situated on the banks of the Nuwejaars River, also forms part of the 46 000-hectare Nuwejaar Wetlands Special Management area, a nature conservancy with abundant bird, plant, and wildlife.
A world of
welcome
With its relaunch in 2021, the farm now offers luxury accommodation and catering, premium vineyards, expansive hiking and biking trails, leisurely game drives, picnicking and canoeing off the river front, and a retail arm featuring fine wines. All of these offerings are curated under a banner of environmental sustainability, with the inclusion of the local community. Today, Zoetendal estate embodies the warmth and welcome of the original Khoikhoi, and the courage and resilience of those pioneering vintners who were willing to risk all to grow vines at their limit, in a region rattled by south-easterly winds and rooted in hardy koffieklip soil. And the current owners wouldn’t have it any other way. One hails from Dutch heritage while the other is a member of the Venda Royal family. Both bring a cultural nuance to the newly styled Zoetendal estate.