Love a Little Local: A special harvest for Bartho Eksteen Wines

A special harvest for Bartho Eksteen Wines

Writer Hedda Mittner

The 2021 harvest kicked off with great excitement at Bartho Eksteen’s farm in Hemel-en-Aarde Valley on 2 February, which was not only the date that Jan van Riebeeck diarised as the day on which the first wine was made in the Cape 362 years ago but also the birthday of Bartho’s son, Pieter Willem, who is following in his famous father’s winemaking steps.

In fact, winemaking at the Eksteen farm is very much a family affair, with Pieter Willem’s Argentinian wife, Sol Yerden also having joined the winemaking team, while Bartho’s wife, Suné has become the master of the culinary side of the brand, under the name, Maná. Then there’s their daughter Shani, a teacher at Hermanus Pre-Primary, who happily rolled up her sleeves to join in the first day of harvesting. What made this event even more special, is that they were picking the farm’s maiden Pinot Noir.

Since settling on the farm in 2015, the Eksteens have transformed this once derelict property into a welcoming home, winery, tasting venue and deli. Apart from his vineyards near Afdaksrivier, Bartho has planted 13 ha on the farm to almost every variety under the sun, including Sauvignon Blanc, Semillon, Chardonnay, Pinot Noir, Pinot Meunier, Viognier, Grenache, Syrah, Mourvèdre… and small pockets of Pinotage, Roobernet and Nouvelle for his ‘Professore’ red blend, the first of its kind in the world.

Click on the newspaper below to read the full story (see page 8).