Malu Lambert: Noordhoek emerges as a Cape wine destination

It’s been essential for me, as a wine writer, to live outside the boundaries of the winelands. Were I to live in say, Stellenbosch, I would quickly become overwhelmed. For all its pretence of laid-backness, working in wine is anything but. There is a constant stream of tastings, events, farm visits, and somewhere in between it all I’ve got to get down to the actual writing, which, as a freelancer, is an endless juggle.

Living in Noordhoek, a beautiful coastal suburb at the foot of Chapman’s Peak, gives me a sense of remove; a place to retreat (behind the lentil curtain, as it were). But here’s the thing: we do have a wine culture here, and it’s growing.

Cape Point Vineyards, on the slopes of Chapman’s Peak, has long been the castle, towering over the small community famed for its cult sauv-sem blend, Isliedh. The first vintage circa 2003, made by Duncan Savage who left after 14-years to start his own label. He still has an affinity for the deep south, with Girl Next Door sourced from syrah vineyards in both Fish Hoek and Noordhoek.

The future of Cape Point Vineyards, however, hangs somewhat in the balance. What began as a commercial disagreement between founder Sybrand van der Spuy and businessman Stephen Newton, who acquired much of the property for his Alexander Estate, has escalated into multiple court cases and allegations of intimidation. One incident made mainstream news: Van der Spuy was alleged to have threatened staff with what they believed was a firearm, a claim he denied, maintaining that the object was in fact a pepper-ball launcher.

Just below Cape Point Vineyards find Alexander Estate, a winery and boutique luxury hotel. The land had once belonged to Newton’s grandfather, Alexander Newton, who lost it after an unsuccessful attempt at farming following his retirement as a boilermaker. In bringing it back into the family, Newton has also saved the vineyards from a proposed housing development. “That would have been a disaster for Noordhoek,” says CEO and cellarmaster Hannes Meyer, who also continues to oversee winemaking at Cape Point Vineyards. “It would have stripped away so much of what makes this place special.”

The newly launched Alexander range features both estate-grown as well as wines Meyer has sourced fruit for. The standout is the proudly Noordhoek, Susara 2024: a blend of sauvignon blanc, sémillon and sauvignon gris, the latter bringing a distinct savouriness and texture to the blend with its tiny berries, and wind-battered thick skins.

“We want this to be a brand the valley feels a part of,” he says. “Something that gives back.”

Community is something Noordhoek does well. The Farm Village is its beating heart, home to the yoga studio where you’ll usually find me, a coffee roastery, juice bar and, of course, one of the country’s best wine restaurants, The Foodbarn. Franck Dangereux’s offering includes his own label with some of his ‘wine friends’, including names like Silverthorn, Trizanne Barnard and Catherine Marshall.

While down Beach Road, Furny’s Wine Bar manages to cram a spectacular and varied selection onto very limited shelf space. In the same milkwood-enclosed compound is the Aegir Project Brewery, South Africa’s best craft brewery, in my opinion anyway. They have a cracking wine list too, and owner Rory Lancellas releases a collaboration once a year with his winemaker friends, Ode to the Harvest, bottle-conditioned saison aged in wine barrels.

It’s here, one fine day, with the blue arc of the Atlantic visible through the upstairs windows, that Noordhoeker, Natasha Jacka is presenting her latest Alinea releases.

After working as a chef Jacka started to get curious about wine. On a whim she decided to join the harvest team at Cape Point Vineyards in 2017. A pivotal moment came on the bottling line when Riandri Visser, who succeeded Savage as winemaker, handed Jacka a bottle and said, ‘This is yours. You made this.’ “I knew then that this was what I wanted to do for the rest of my life.” She enrolled at Elsenburg, graduated top of her class in 2020, and launched Alinea the following year.

At home during lockdown she was looking out over her mother’s horse paddocks, and the idea came to her to plant some vines. “My mom, dad, sister and I dug every hole ourselves, planted every vine and put in every stake.” Three years after establishing the vineyard, the first fruit was harvested in 2024. The first block comprised 750 stok-by-paaltjie syrah vines, followed by a six-variety white field blend of just 650 vines (read reviews of the latest releases here).

Jacka describes Noordhoek as ‘one of the Cape’s coolest and windiest pockets’ with annual rainfall typically between 600 and 900mm.

Just down the road, outside Kommetjie, she is involved in another project at the landmark Imhoff Farm, where echalas vines were planted in 2019. The 1.5-hectares are planted to chardonnay, pinot noir and shiraz and occupy a north-east-facing slope overlooking Long Beach towards Chapman’s Peak. “The planting method and cultivars were chosen for the windy conditions,” says consulting viticulturist Hendri Burger. “They flower before the south-easterly winds arrive.” The vineyard is farmed organically.

It’s been reported that the establishment of the Kommetjie Vineyard Estate forms part of a long-term vision to create a Peninsula wine route. Which leaves me with one small problem: it seems the winelands have finally caught up with me.

• Malu Lambert is a freelance wine journalist and wine judge who has written for numerous local and international titles. She is a WSET Diploma alum and won the title of Louis Roederer Emerging Wine Writer of the Year 2019, among many other accolades. She sits on various tasting panels and has judged in competitions abroad. Follow her on X: @MaluLambert