Wine is made in Namibia?

This is typical of the surprised reaction one gets from most tourists and the majority of Namibians when asked about Namibian wine. To avoid having the same reaction, read the following about a Namibian winery hidden in the scenic Otavi Mountain Valley. Eleven kilometres outside Otavi, along the B8 road to Grootfontein, you will find the vineyard of Thonningii Wine Cellar. It is barely visible from the roadside, like a secret almost that the valley keeps to itself. The vineyard is surprisingly easy to find and after a short drive on a gravel road the rustic cellar soon pops into view. Flanked by towering dolomite mountains covered by indigenous trees and other flora, the picturesque cellar reminds more of a farmhouse than a wine cellar.

Thonningii Wine Cellar is situated in an area of Namibia better known for maize production than fine wines. The history of the cellar began in 1991 when Dr. Bertus Boshoff, a medical doctor by profession, planted a small area of vines as an experiment. Not knowing much about winemaking at first, Dr. Boshoff quickly became enthusiastic about it after conducting extensive research into the subject and experimenting with small-batch wines. His passion carried over to his son, Gilmar Boshoff, who went on to study winemaking at Stellenbosch, in South Africa. After his studies, Gilmar worked in the industry for a couple of years before returning home to take over the reins at Thonningii.

The goal at Thonningii is to grow grapevines with as little human interference as possible, produce wine in a similar fashion and create wines with complex characters that reflect the environment in which the grapes are grown. Another characteristic that sets these wines apart is that every part of the winemaking process, from harvesting to labelling, is done by hand.

Although the Otavi Mountain Valley can be challenging at times, over the years cultivars best-suited to the climate and the red shale soil of the valley floor were successfully planted. Currently, the size of the vineyard is 5.5 ha and consists of Syrah, Tinta Barocca, Barbera, Viognier, Colombar and Verdelho. Little to no chemicals and pesticides are used in the vineyard and the vines are only sprayed when necessary because a healthy, biodiverse environment is believed to produce the best wines.

Wines produced by Thonningii Wine Cellar include white and red blends such as Syrah Rosé, Syrah, Tinta Barocca, Barbera and Grappa. The wines are skin-fermented and not inoculated with commercial yeast, meaning the fermentation process occurs naturally using the wine’s own native yeast (also known as ‘’wild fermentation’’). In keeping with the principle of minimum interference in both vineyard and cellar, no fining agents or filtration methods are used, which help to retain all of the complexities of naturally-fermented wines.

Now that you know the secret of the Otavi Mountain Valley, make a point of stopping over at Thonningii Wine Cellar when next you are in the area. For more information, email boshoffwines@gmail.com or call +264 81 041 6083 to make a wine-tasting booking.