THIS IS US

It is 2021 and it is safe to say that one of the keywords that stood out over the past year is “change”.

We went from crawling to running in the last two years with regards to renovation, repositioning, and rebranding – change is in our nature.

We want to tell you the story about us, and our culture of innovation, inclusion, and diversity.

Our story began more than 300 years ago.
The main building on our farm, which is used as a home today, dates back to 1691.  We believe the building was a wine cellar back in the day since old wine-making equipment was found there. It took nearly 300 years before a more formal wine cellar was built in 1989.

Our farm was officially established in 1797. The name Rhebokskloof derived from the Rhebok, a small antelope endemic to South Africa, that roamed the mountainous areas of the Cape.  Our farm is also surrounded by valleys, hence the “kloof” (Afrikaans word for valleys) part of our name.

In this image you can see the original main house from 1691.

Rhebokskloof is uniquely positioned like an amphitheatre, which gives us the benefit of east and west-facing slopes.

The value of having east-facing slopes are that our vineyards enjoy shade for a longer period which results in later ripening grapes. Whereas the West-facing vineyards have grapes that ripen faster, as they are less in shade. Time of ripening influence the grape flavour. We deliberately planted the same cultivar on the two opposing slopes to have completely different flavours from the same cultivar.

“It’s always exciting to see what each specific block brings to the blend in terms of characteristics and mouth-feel. We are lucky to have all the different components, it makes my winemaking and blending process stimulating.” – Rolanie Lotz, Cellar Master.

Rhebokskloof grows 70% red varieties and 30% white varieties. Our red wines are predominantly Rhône-style, such as Syrah, Mourvèdre, and Grenache.

Our Black Marble Hill Syrah is our Flagship wine and shows immense depth and character each year. Surprisingly, the Chardonnay grapes, which do not naturally flourish in such a hot environment, delivers exceptional quality wine.

Our motto is:

“Wines that will help you create memories that will last forever.” – Rolanie Lotz, Cellarmaster.

HARVEST 2021

This year our harvest started two weeks later than expected. The winter of 2020 was longer with a cooler September and October, which resulted in a later blooming season for the vineyards. We are happy to report that the grape quality of the harvest looks excellent.

Enjoy our video of the first day of harvest and how it progressed.

Rhebokskloof has a female-led winemaking team. Our Cellarmaster, Rolanie Lotz, has been heading the cellar team for fifteen years with Karin as her dynamic teammate from day one.

At Rolanie’s graduation at Elsenburg in 2001, she was one of only three female graduates and the only one of the three females still making wine today. Karin also graduated from Elsenburg in 2007 and had the privilege to be a part of three harvests in three countries, all in the one year of her graduation.

Rolanie’s passion lies in crafting Syrah and finds that Rhebokskloof’s terroir reminds her of the many vineyards she visited in Southern Australia. Karin’s love of creating the perfect blend started with her trio harvesting stretch in her graduating year in South Africa, New Zealand, and Bordeaux, France.

Denver Skippers joined our team towards the end of last year as Assistant Farm Manager.

He has just finished his first harvest at Rhebokskloof and marks the 21st harvest of his career.

Growing up in the Winelands, Denver was destined to lead a grape-filled life. With his absolute passion for the vineyards and the farm, he has made a massive success of this year’s harvest at Rhebokskloof with his mentor André Rousseau. His attentiveness to the farm and its people has led to an innovative and exciting initiative that he started with the surrounding area’s children.

He soon realised that the children in the area lack the opportunity of having after-school activities, and in collaboration with the Grassroots Sport and Culture Organisation – with the slogan “Catch the child before crime does” – Denver started a cricket and netball league. The children practice during the week and play tournaments during the weekends.

“The only way to save these kids (ed. from Tik etc) is by introducing them to sports. It keeps them busy in the best possible way. We also want to teach them to respect their environment and appreciate the nature around them” – Denver.

We can already see the impact this initiative has on the community on and around the farm as the children are eager to participate and the parents are equally proud. Our goal is to attract and involve more of the community to grow a positive and respectful youth.

WIETA ACCREDITED 

Rhebokskloof is WIETA (Wine and Agricultural Ethical Trade Association) accredited.

What is WIETA?

WIETA is a globally recognized ethical auditing body that drives a pro-active world-class, sustainable, ethical trade program for the South African wine industry and aligned sectors.

WIETA actively promotes fair working conditions within the wine industry and provides a platform for dialogue around ethical trade. This accreditation is of high importance to us and that all our customers know we treat our employees ethically, safely, and progressively. Something we are incredibly proud of is that we do not have a high staff turnover – people tend to stay with us for long.

We have a vinotique of staff (that has been with us for longer than 10 years):
William Sekile | 30 years
Michael Farao | 21 Years
Jeff Swarts | 19 years
Viola Swarts | 19 year
Elizabeth Farao | 17 years
Nazerine Alexander | 15 years
Mary Mentoor | 15 years
Jacques Jantjies | 15 years
Kandas Fortuin | 15 years
Rolanie Lotz | 14 years
Karin Louw | 14 years
Merisha Japhta | 14 years
Selma Mentoor | 13 years
Elzona Farao | 9 years
Money Matholengwe | 9 years

We are committed to fair treatment, respectful relationships, and dignified livelihoods for all, to achieve a transformed agricultural sector.

OUR STEWARD LEADER: MARTIN GEBERS, RHEBOKSKLOOF GENERAL MANAGER

Martin grew up on a sugar cane farm in KwaZulu Natal in a little town called Eshowe. Eshowe’s name is said to be inspired by the sound of wind blowing through the Dlinza Forest.

Being in the agricultural sector was always part of Martin’s dream, and when his father purchased a wine farm in the Western Cape, he knew that he found a love for wine.

“I was in the Western Cape, and what do you do in the Western Cape? You do wine.”

Freshly graduated from the University of Cape Town with a business degree, Martin’s first real taste of the wine industry was at Boschendal in 1987. After gaining invaluable experience in permanent financial management positions and as a wine business consultant, he found a permanent home at Warwick Wine Estate as their financial manager and later the chief operating officer from 2005 for 13 years. Today, Martin leads Rhebokskloof through his own unique style of steward leadership, a form of leadership that focuses on others, the community and society at large rather than the self.

His vision for Rhebokskloof is for Rhebokskloof to become a brand that people can aspire to.

“We have all the building blocks in place and, most importantly, an amazing team to take Rhebokskloof to the next level.”

Martin believes in leading the team by building loyalty and respect through equitable and fair treatment.

“It is not about who you are but what you are. Respect from others should be earned by the work you do and not the position you hold.”

Some interesting facts about Martin:

• He ran a carpet cleaning business for two years.
• He and his brother own a boutique wine farm in Somerset West.
• If he could be a Rhebokskloof wine, it would be the Flatrock White. “I do not classify myself as a “normal” accountant. If I had to be a wine, it would be something that has a little more edge. I think I would be a Flatrock White – it’s a blend (for my multi-layered personality), it makes me think of the outdoors, and it has a ‘bokkie’ on the front.”

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