The Welbedacht Wine Estate is a historic property in Wellington, in the heart of South Africa’s Cape winelands. Though the farm’s roots trace back to the 1830s, its modern chapter began in 1997 when former Springbok lock Schalk Burger Sr. acquired the estate, later building a 1,000-ton cellar completed in time for the 2005 harvest. Today, Welbedacht is recognised as one of the Wellington region’s leading producers, blending old vine vineyards, some over 40 years old, with new plantings guided by generations of winemaking experience.
At the heart of the estate’s portfolio stands its flagship wine: Die Afrikaanse Patriot Kaapse Versnit, a Cape Blend crafted as a tribute to the Afrikaans-speaking community and its contribution to South Africa’s cultural landscape. The wine draws its name and meaning from the historic Groenberg school on the Welbedacht farm, a site closely tied to the early movement for the recognition of Afrikaans as an official language. Carefully composed from classic varieties in the tradition of award-winning Cape reds, the blend reflects the depth, complexity, and character of the Boland’s vineyards.
More than just a wine, Die Afrikaanse Patriot 2024 Cape Blend is a bottled piece of heritage, connecting Welbedacht’s terroir to the deeper story of language, identity, and culture in the Cape.
Welbedacht Estate Die Afrikaanse Patriot 2024 Cape Blend, WO Groenberg, 14% Abv.
A blend of Pinotage, Mourvedre, Syrah and Petit Verdot creates a plush luxurious expression with opulent hedonistic aromatics of hoisin plum sauce, mulberries and macerated earthy black currants with a dusting of vanilla pod spice. In the mouth, the palate is broad and lush, medium to full bodied with a seamlessly elegant texture, compact creamy tannins and a pronounced undertone of cassis leaf and boiled black currant rock candy. Impressively elegant with a harmonious mouth coating intensity, this red is undoubtedly one of the jewels in the Welbedacht crown. Drink now and over the next decade.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Welbedacht wines are available in the UK from importer The Sporting Wine Club.
Evert-Gerard Rautenbach has a successful day job at the Paserene / Atlas Swift Winery in Franschhoek in the Western Cape. As a side hobby project, Evert makes a small amount of experimental single cultivar Marsanne sourced from a vineyard in Wellington. On a recent visit to Franschhoek, Evert gave me a bottle of the 2025 Marsanne to try, noting that while this vintage is almost sold out, he is even more excited by the quality and styling of the 2026 vintage. As always, I love to champion new wines and young talented winemakers, and Evert is certainly a name to keep an eye on.
The Last Arrow Marsanne 2025, WO Wellington, 13.5% Abv.
This pure 100% Marsanne was whole bunch pressed and then barrel fermented with natural yeasts, being kept on its gross lees for the entire maturation time of 9 months in all neutral oak barrels, before being fined, filtered and bottled, then aged for an additional 3 months before release. The wine possesses a dark golden yellow bonze colour and exotic aromatics of ripe peach stone fruits, hints of quince, yellow apple, bees wax, honeycomb and savoury leesy biscuit nuances. In the mouth the texture is glycerol and fleshy, marked with a pithy, picante spiciness that adds an attractive gentle herbal bitterness, the grape’s naturally lower acidity lending further notions of palate breadth and depth. Overall, a very harmonious, well-constructed wine that would make for a perfect food pairing menu, perhaps matched with a lightly curried Cape Malay fish dish or even more traditional freshly dived scallops. Drink now. (Only 500 bottles produced and released at R180 per bottle in SA.)
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Currently, no UK or European representation that I know of.
In South Africa, the Old Vine Project (OVP) exists to protect the heritage of old vines and to ensure that old vineyards continue to thrive. Old vines are living history. Wines made from them embody decades of care, skill, and dedication. In South Africa, the OVP affords producers the opportunity to certify their old vine vineyards and wines. That it can do so is largely thanks to the South African Wine Industry Information Systems (SAWIS) database, and its records dating back to 1900. This database enables the OVP to verify planting dates and gives South Africa a unique global advantage – traceability and credibility. Members of the OVP may apply for the Certified Heritage Vineyards seal that clearly states the planting date for wine made from vineyards of 35 years or older.
When consumers think of the majority of Old Vine wines, chances are they will reference Chenin Blanc or Colombard, cultivars planted on mass years ago mostly for distillation. However, when it comes to red cultivars, the diversity of Old Vine wines on offer is a little more restricted. But among the leaders of the pack has to be Cinsault and Pinotage, two work horse varietals in the South African wine landscape.
Fuselage Wines Staggerwing Old Vines Cinsault 2021, WO Paarl, 12.5% Abv.
Danie Morkel is the acclaimed winemaker for Roodekrantz who also happens to make wines under his own boutique label called Fuselage – his family owns the Diemerskraal airfield between Wellington and Malmesbury which obligingly lends Danie’s brand the aviation link. Planted in 1954, Danie finds beauty in the mundane workhorse of Cinsault that has stood the test of time, endearing it to its operatives and taking it to an elevated status, to one of a classic and collectable wine.
This 2021 is a charming expressive Cinsault red displaying intricate aromatics of fragrant pink flowers and rose petals, tart cranberries and red cherries over a savoury, earthy base of wet loam. The palate is cool and well defined, the crisp acidity lending a fine frame over which sleek, crystalline, translucent red berry fruits are elegantly draped. The fruit sweetness is subtle and sophisticated allowing a wet stone pithy minerality to shine through on the finish. Elegant, delightfully easy drinking and utterly charming. Drink now to 2032+.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Welgegund Heritage Wines Old Vine Cinsault 2024, WO Wellington, 12.5% Abv.
Established in 1777 and lovingly restored by the Brimacombe family since 2014, Welgegund – a Dutch word meaning “well bestowed” – regards their Heritage range of wines as a key part of their legacy with their Certified Heritage Vineyards a source of great pride. Their Certified Heritage Vineyard that produces their Cinsault grapes was planted in 1974. It is a dryland, bush vine and low yielding vineyard that produces top quality fruit. This Southwest facing vineyard has ancient, decomposed granite soils that add to the minerality in the wine and the vines are packed with hay bales at their feet to retain moisture and as a natural way of keeping weeds at bay. The fruit is harvested by hand in the early morning and cool grapes are delivered to the winery where the grapes go to open top fermenters, in mostly whole bunch clusters with stalks intact, and are then aged for 12 months in 500 litre French oak barrels before being bottled unfiltered in June 2025. Only 1,400 bottles were produced.
Wellington is of course home to the oldest Cinsault vineyard in South Africa (Basson Vineyard), so unsurprisingly, this 1974 Old Vine expression also shows plenty of pedigree loaded with attractive aromatics of wild strawberries, mulberries, and Pink Lady apples with a delicate dusting of cracked pepper spice and Granitic minerality. On the palate, the wine is soft, supple and approachable with a harmoniously fleshy mid palate that reveals cool, well integrated acids, a hint of salinity, silky powdery tannins and a pithy, red cherry fruited finish. Open, generous and beautifully approachable. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 93/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Bellevue Heritage Pinotage 2021, WO Stellenbosch, 14% Abv.
Bellevue Stellenbosch is the oldest commercial producer of Pinotage in South Africa having produced South Africa’s first bottled Pinotage. Bellevue’s story is one of bold decisions and forward thinking. When Pieter Krige (P.K.) Morkel couldn’t find Gamay vines in 1953, he embraced a pioneering South African cultivar: Pinotage. This decision not only shaped Bellevue’s identity but also contributed to the global recognition of Pinotage as a uniquely South African wine. Bellevue currently works with the oldest average vine age in Stellenbosch with their youngest block 25+ years old and their oldest 73 years old.
Bellevue winemaker Wilhelm Kritzinger.
This 2021 Pinotage is another special heritage wine with a profound sense of place from one of the oldest commercial Pinotage vineyards in the world. A registered single vineyard planted in 1953, this 1.85 hectare sustainably farmed old bush vine vineyard reveals an incredibly complex and exotic aromatics that’s multi-layered with red and black bramble berry fruits, hints of dark chocolate and peppermint crisp, and an infusion of sage and bay leaf dried herbs. The palate is full bodied but supple with a broad, creamy, luxurious opulence that is embellished with lashing of sweet black currant and mulberries, Christmas spice and a deliciously sweet and sour acidity that slowly melts away on the long concentrated finish. Deliciously accessible but super serious as well. Drink now to 2036+.
After an illustrious few years as head winemaker at Stark-Condé in the Jonkershoek Valley, which also involved launching the dynamic joint venture of Kara Tara, in partnership with Jose Condé, in 2023 Rudger decided it was time to spread his wings and fly off to new pastures.
Following a succinct appointment process with Doolhof Winery in Wellington, he is now settled in there producing some very exciting wines for both Doolhof as well as himself. I recently review Rudger’s highly accomplished New Dawn Chenin Blanc 2024 (96/100 GSMW) and now take a look at two of his newly released reds.
New Dawn Red Blend 2024, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.
This more accessible red blend from Rudger van Wyk is made up of 30% Cabernet Sauvignon, 27% Shiraz, 27% Grenache, 11% Cinsault and 5% Carignan. While youthful and incredibly willing, the aromatics are forward, lifted and generous showing a medley of red berry fruits, sweet red cherry, strawberry compote and creamy raspberry nuances. Texturally supple and very elegant, the vivacious acidity combines with a crunchy red berry fruit intensity to make this wine seriously delicious, with purity of fruit and silky elegance its true highlights. Accessible and juicy, this wine is good to savour on release and over the next 5 to 6 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
New Dawn by Rudger van Wyk Dark Leap Red Blend 2024, WO Western Cape, 13.5% Abv.
Rudger van Wyk’s maiden red release from his New Dawn project is a tantalising Southern Rhone-style red blend of 58% Syrah, 20% Carignan, 17% Grenache and 5% Cinsault. A vibrant bright cherry red in the glass, the aromatics are incredibly pure and bright showing a crystalline vitality and precision. Incredibly perfumed and lifted, the nose is tightly packed with notes of lavender and white flowers, glacé red cherries, cranberry, and saline hints of black currant. Medium bodied, concentrated and intricately structured, there is a real core of energy to the wine driven by a tangy fresh acidity and tart bright red cherry and red currant fruits with silky soft powdery tannins and long, mouthwatering finish. This wine shows serious winemaking prowess with its weightless intensity, harmonious elegance, and a piercing focused length. Unforced and effortless, this is a cracking new label debut from Rudger that’s worth tracking down. Drink now to 2034+.
(Wine Safari Score: 94+/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The New Dawn wines are imported into the UK by South African specialist merchant Museum Wines.
Drawing on the decades of wine experience of Schalk Burger’s Welbedacht Estate in Wellington, Western Cape, sees the winery launch two new blends that will hit the UK market soon. While the Welbedacht farm was only bought in 1997, the original historical farm dates back as far as the 1830’s.
In 2000, Schalk Burger Senior decided to pursue his dream of producing his very own range of wines and the 1,200 ton Welbedacht cellar was completed in time for the 2005 harvest. Since then, the estate has produced some of the finest quality grapes in the whole of Wellington and their wines are now among the quality leaders for the Wellington region.
Welbedacht Oakdene Cape Blanc de Blancs White Blend 2024, WO Western Cape, 13.55% Abv.
An attractively aromatic new white blend from the Welbedacht Estate, this youthful Oakdene 2024 shows a distinctively lifted bouquet of white flowers, mint leaf, dried oregano and thyme with an underlying pithy white citrus fruit and wet stone minerality. Deliciously lush and tangy in the mouth, the palate it textural and fleshy with notes of grassy gooseberry, ripe papaya, ruby grapefruit, and white peach nuances. Vibrant and fresh, the finish is glycerol and long with delicately savoury herbal hints. This is a wonderfully versatile white, perfect with or without food accompaniment. Drink now to 2028+.
(Wine Safari Score: 90/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Welbedacht Oakdene Cape Red Blend 2024, WO Western Cape, 14.68% Abv.
The new Oakdene red Cape Blend offers a cornucopia of plush ripe flavours, majestically perfumed and fragrant with earthy black currant, black plum, earthy mulberry, eucalyptus and delicate spearmint nuances. The palate is equally inviting, fully loaded with sweet black and blueberry fruits, earthy plum compote and spicy black cherries before vanilla pod, sweet cedar, and an exotic Chinese five spice complexity. The mouthfeel is medium to full bodied, enticingly plush and fleshy with creamy spicy tannins and a hoisin plum sauce note on the tangy, drying finish. There is a lot of ripe joyful winemaking packed into each bottle, making this a perfect BBQ wine for the summer. Drink now and over the next 3 to 5+ years.
The Schalk Burger and Sons Welbedacht Wine Estate is found in the stunning region of Wellington where wine making and grape cultivation has been an essential part of the landscape for decades. It is also home to the Burger family, one of the country’s most recognized sporting names with both father and son having long illustrious careers playing Springbok rugby as loose forwards.
While the Welbedacht farm was bought in 1997, the original historical farm dates back as far as the 1830’s. In 2000, Schalk Senior decided to pursue his dream of producing his very own range of wines and the 1,200 ton Welbedacht cellar was completed in time for the 2005 harvest. Since then, the estate has produced some of the finest quality grapes in the whole of Wellington and their wines are now among the quality leaders for the region.
Enjoyinge a glass of the Welbedacht 1861 Cabernet / Merlot 2018 Blend that celebrates 50 years of the Richmond Heavies, part of the Richmond Rugby Club.
Schalk Burger Senior was recently in the UK to play in the Dunhill Pro-Am golf tournament in Scotland and kindly hosted an enjoyable wine dinner on his way back through London with his importer, The Sporting Wine Club.
Schalk Burger & Sons No.6 Shiraz 2016, WO Wellington, 14% Abv.
The rugby legend of the great Burger sporting dynasty lives on in the form of the Schalk Burger & Sons No.6 red Rhone blend, a true tribute to the legendary No.6 loose forwards of Schalk Burger Jnr. & Snr. Syrah based with splashes of Mourvèdre, Cinsaut, Grenache, Pinotage and Viognier, the aromatics scream opulence, verve and vigour, packed full of sweet black berry compote, bramble berry spice, sweet earthy cassis, black olive tapenade and a seductive salty melted liquorice depth. Full, rich and creamy on the palate, the structure shows the same power and stature of its Welbedacht namesakes with ripe sweet tannins, bright tangy acids and a long, salty, maritime note on the finish. A textural masterclass that’s simply delicious. Drink now and over the next 5-8+ years.
An early preview of the soon to be released Welbedacht Estate Pinotage shows why this Wellington property is so suited to producing premium examples of this cultivar. The 2023 offers up fresh, ripe aromatics of red cherry, toasted macaroons, bramble berries, tannery leather, and red plum jelly with a kiss of vanilla herbal spice. Already fleshy and open-knit, the palate shows a sumptuous breadth and depth of dark cherries and sweet black plums with a subtle hint of earthiness over exotic Christmas spices. Voluptuous and medium to full bodied, the showy concentration is accompanied by soft fine grained tannins and succulent acids on the long, persistent finish. A delightful Pinotage from the vintage. Drink on release and over 8-10 years.
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
The Wines of the Welbedacht Estate are imported into the UK by The Sporting Wine Club.
I reviewed Fernando Rueda’s first Rueda Family Wines Carignan in December 2021 and the review garnered a lot of interest as one of the very few single varietal Carignan cultivar wines produced in South Africa. The second release from the 23-year-old Wellington vineyard is now joined by a sumptuous Syrah produced from Stellenbosch fruit on Karibib. Both wines are produced with minimal intervention in a more artisanal style but shouldn’t be view as ‘natural wines.’ Not yet available in the UK, but do track them down if you are in the Cape.
Torero And Pasiphae 2022 Syrah, WO Stellenbosch, 14.37% Abv.
1.02g/l RS | 4.75g/l TA | 3.81pH
This 2022 Syrah displays a wonderfully exotic aromatics that combines intricately fragrant notes of Parma violets, purple rock candy, grape soda, raspberry confit, melted black liquorice and piquant black cherry with more subtle hints of smoked meats, black pepper corns and graphite spice developing in the glass. The palate is beautifully full, plush and fleshy with sweet creamy tannins, tangy acids and a seductive peppery layer of blue berries, creme de cassis and mulberry nuances. An impressively intense, powerful expression of Syrah that shows its obvious ripeness without compromising either its fruit purity or its mineral focus. A very well-honed expression of Stellenbosch Syrah! Drink now and over the next 5 to 8+ years. (1,292 bottles and 28 magnums produced)
(Wine Safari Score: 94/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Torero And the Suit of Lights Carignan 2022, WO Wellington, 14.86% Abv.
2.19g/l RS | 5.36g/l TA | 3.61pH
The maiden release of the Torero Carignan 2021 was an impressively tight, taut, slightly reductive creation that led with a stony mineral precision. The 2022 is an altogether riper, richer, more densely fruited example that boasts a flamboyant bruleed black fruited aromatics of black currant confit, plum spice and black cherry over black olive tapenade, iron filings and a subtle roasted vanilla pod nuance. Where the 2021 was a cool, slightly lean 12.5% Abv., the 2022 is a riper, more opulent 14.86% Abv. which lends a massive amount of extra glycerol depth and breadth to the palate. Carignan can quite often be quite a meaty, rustic variety, but this impressive Torero tames the wild side of Carignan, offering up pure, plush blue and black berry fruits with creamy soft sweet tannins and a long, spicy, densely fruited cola tinged finish. This is surely one of the finest single cultivar examples in the country!? Drink on release and over the next 5 to 8+ years. (856 bottles and 12 magnums produced)
In 2020, during the dark days of the pandemic, ex-international rugby players Kenny Logan, Simon Halliday and Schalk Burger Snr. decided to create a wine to help in the fight against MND, in the name of MyName5Doddie Foundation. The Doddie5 was born and this amazing red blend (5 grape varieties) has been enjoyed throughout the UK, raising significant funds for the Foundation.
Then came the sad news of Rob Burrow’s MND diagnosis, and the 7&5 Gin was created reflecting his and Doddie’s rugby shirt numbers. This raised more funds and awareness of their commitment to research to combat this disease. Now Sporting Wine Club brings you the third project, the Doddie’5 Cap Classique Brut Blanc de Blancs.
Welbedacht Wine Estate may be more renowned for their bold, premium reds but it’s a slightly better kept secret that they actually produce some excellent Cap Classique or Method Champenoise-styled bottle fermented sparkling wines from the Cape. Normally produced under the Mon Rene Blanc de Blancs Brut label, Welbedacht have offered their sparkling wine expertise to produce the latest creation in the Doddie’5 charitable range. A project worthy of every sportsman’s support!
Doddie’5 Cap Classique Brut by Welbedacht Wines, Schalk Burger & Sons, WO Western Cape, 12% Abv.
An alluring pale gold colour with a vibrant energetic mousse, the aromatics are seductively complex boasting layers of dusty white citrus, green Granny Smith apples, warm buttered brioche and honey glazed pastries. Produced as a pure varietal Chardonnay, this Brut Cap Classique has all the sourdough, lemon biscuit and leesy savoury white toast nuances that make traditional bottle fermented sparkling wines so tantalisingly appealing, suitable not only for celebrations but also food and wine pairing. The palate is sophisticated and elegant with a beautifully creamy mouse, a fresh mouth watering acidity that adds extra structure to the mouthfeel, finishing with hints of chalky minerality, lemon peel and white peach bon bons. A classical expression that will seduce a lot of fizz drinkers. Drink now and over the next 2 to 3+ years.
(Wine Safari Score: 92/100 Greg Sherwood MW)
Wines are available from Sporting Wine Club in the UK at £24.95 per bottle inc.
The rugby community around the world is one of the most tight-knit sporting bodies in existence, with clubs, provinces and nations eternally bound together in the camaraderie of battle on the rugby pitch. So it is no surprise that ex-Springbok rugby legend Schalk Burger Senior stepped up once again to offer to produce a premium wine for the Richmond Heavies of West London Rugby club, Richmond RFC.
The Richmond Heavies were formed in the 1971-72 season and have remained an integral part of the Richmond Rugby Club in West London ever since with a well-earned reputation as a very strong playing side and an even better touring side. As a celebration of their 50th anniversary, a specially crafted red wine was conceived and created that would represent an appropriate tribute. Drawing on the decades of wine experience of Schalk Burger’s Welbedacht Estate in Wellington, Western Cape, this classical Bordeaux blend is the inaugural choice for the Richmond Heavies eponymous label.
With sadly several unexpected fatalities across playing age groups in recent years, the sales of The 1861 Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot will look to raise extra funds to provide much needed medical services at the club. But the crowning glory of this charitable project is that it is based around the sales of a genuinely premium fine wine that will appeal to collectors and connoisseurs alike. Another superb wine for another worthy rugby cause.
Welbedacht Estate The 1861 Cabernet Sauvignon / Merlot 2018, WO Wellington, 14% Abv.
This classic 50/50 Cabernet Sauvignon and Merlot Cape Bordeaux blend displays a gorgeously spicy aromatics of black currant leaf, black cherry, freshly cut cedar, burnt matchstick and graphite spice with undertones of fresh tobacco leaf and black plum compote. The palate is intense but sumptuous, beautifully seamless, boasting a cool and creamy black berry, cassis fruited demeanour with plenty of textural precision, a tight knit focus, layers of pithy black cherry and a delicate but detailed, voluminous mocha-tinged mouthful on the finish. Pure, long and suitably fresh, this delicious red blend is another class act from the Welbedacht Estate of ex-Springbok rugby player Schalk Burger Snr. Enjoy this wine now and over the next 5 to 8+ years.
Carignan is a red grape variety of Spanish origin that is more commonly found in French wine but is widely planted throughout the western Mediterranean in the Languedoc-Roussillon, Sardinia, and Catalonia. Carignan (also known as Mazuelo, Cariñena, Carinyena, Samsó, Carignane, and Carignano) is believed to have originated in Carinena, Aragon, Spain and was later transplanted to Sardinia, elsewhere in Italy, France, Algeria, and much of the New World. Carignan is a late budding and ripening grape which requires a warm climate in order to achieve full physiological ripeness making countries like South Africa suitable bedfellows for quality grape growing.
The fruit for this small boutique wine is sourced from 22-year-old Carignan vines nestled in a picturesque valley in Wellington, Western Cape. The wine was made with a minimal intervention philosophy employing a light cap management and eight to ten days of skin maceration with manual punch downs and pump overs. Thereafter, the wine spent eight months in old oak barrels and was bottled in September 2021 using only small amounts of sulphur. Total production was a mere 800 bottles.
Rueda Family Wines Torero and the Suit of Lights Carignan 2021, WO Wellington. 12.5% Abv.
1.94g/l RS | 6.89g/l TA | 3.43pH
A very individual expression of Carignan that shows a touch of spicy, flinty reduction over sea breeze, dried kelp, salty cassis, sour black plum and exotic complexing layers of graphite and crushed granite minerality. The palate is cool, penetrating but impressively punchy with zippy intense glassy acids, more sour black plum, tart spiced cranberry notes and a linear mouthfeel of intelligently early picked fruit. An accomplished, well-made wine that is ready to drink now after a short decant or good to cellar for another 5 to 8+ years. This is artisanal winemaking done very well. If you are a lover of Rhone varieties, snap up a case of this new release with confidence.
