Our Farm
Nestled at the foot of the mountain after which it is named.
Set in the Tulbagh Valley, surrounded by mountains and shaped by a distinctive combination of sunlight, altitude and cooling airflow, Saronsberg enjoys one of the Cape’s most compelling viticultural environments.
The valley’s open southern aspect allows the prevailing summer winds to move through and moderate temperatures, while cold night air descending from the surrounding mountains helps to preserve freshness and structure in the fruit.
What makes Saronsberg especially distinctive is the diversity of its vineyards.
Our plantings extend across two separate farm portions - Welgegund, which rises up the slopes of the Saronsberg mountain, and Waveren, situated closer to the valley floor.
Though close in distance, these sites differ meaningfully in altitude, aspect, soil and microclimate, giving us access to a broad range of terroirs within a single estate.
Across these two portions, Saronsberg has planted 139,971 vines, split virtually evenly between Welgegund and Waveren. The mountain vineyards of Welgegund tend to yield fruit with perfume, finesse and natural elegance. Waveren, by contrast, provides depth, concentration and structure. Together, these sites form the viticultural foundation of Saronsberg: one contributing lift and detail, the other power and backbone.
Saronsberg has planted
139,971 vines
split almost evenly between the higher slopes of
Welgegund and the valley floor of Waveren.
From the outset, the vineyards were developed with a long-term view. Soil and climate analysis informed the selection of cultivars, clones and rootstocks best suited to each site, ensuring that every block was planted with purpose. That same philosophy continues today. We farm each vineyard according to its own character, with the aim of preserving what the terroir naturally gives and translating it into fruit of balance, intensity and precision.
There is also a longer history of stewardship beneath everything we do. In more than 310 years, the reins of this farm have changed hands only once - a remarkable continuity that speaks to the enduring value of this land. We are deeply conscious that we are not its first custodians, nor will we be its last. Our task is simply to care for it well, to understand it more fully with each passing season, and to hand it on strengthened rather than diminished.
This diversity of site is one of Saronsberg’s great strengths. It allows us to produce wines with both clarity of origin and complexity of composition - wines that are shaped by place, but refined through careful stewardship. In the end, our viticulture is about more than farming grapes. It is about understanding the land well enough to let it speak.
Set in the Tulbagh Valley, surrounded by mountains and shaped by a distinctive combination of sunlight, altitude and cooling airflow, Saronsberg enjoys one of the Cape’s most compelling viticultural environments. The valley’s open southern aspect allows the prevailing summer wind to move through and moderate temperatures, while cold night air descending from the surrounding mountains helps preserve freshness and structure in the fruit.
What makes Saronsberg especially distinctive is the diversity of its vineyards. Our plantings extend across two separate farm portions - Welgegund, which rises up the slopes of the Saronsberg mountain, and Waveren, situated closer to the valley floor. Though close in distance, these sites differ meaningfully in altitude, aspect, soil and microclimate, giving us access to a broad range of terroirs within a single estate. Across these two portions, Saronsberg is planted to 139,971 vines, split virtually evenly Welgegund and Waveren.
The mountain vineyards of Welgegund tend to yield fruit with perfume, finesse and natural elegance. Waveren, by contrast, provides depth, concentration and structure. Together, these sites form the viticultural foundation of Saronsberg: one contributing lift and detail, the other power and backbone.
From the outset, the vineyards were developed with a long-term view. Soil and climate analysis informed the selection of cultivars, clones and rootstocks best suited to each site, ensuring that every block was planted with purpose. That same philosophy continues today. We farm each vineyard according to its own character, with the aim of preserving what the terroir naturally gives and translating it into fruit of balance, intensity and precision.
There is also a longer history of stewardship beneath everything we do. In more than 310 years, the reins of this farm have changed hands only once - a remarkable continuity that speaks to the enduring value of this land. We are deeply conscious that we are not its first custodians, nor will we be its last. Our task is simply to care for it well, to understand it more fully with each passing season, and to hand it on strengthened rather than diminished.
This diversity of site is one of Saronsberg’s great strengths. It allows us to produce wines with both clarity of origin and complexity of composition - wines that are shaped by place, but refined through careful stewardship. In the end, our viticulture is about more than farming grapes. It is about understanding the land well enough to let it speak.
Access to the valley is only possible from the open southern side, which allows the prevailing south-eastern summer wind to generate airflow and cool down the valley.
Cooler air generated by cold air flowing down the surrounding mountains at night also accumulates on the valley floor, effectively trapping the cold air. Situated 80 km off the Atlantic coast, the valley’s climate is generally continental, enjoying Mediterranean summers and cold, wet winters. Depending on where you find yourself in the Tulbagh Valley, you will encounter different terroir units, mainly due to the elevation, aspect, and slope variations of the mountains and valley floor.
A premier region
Waveren lies in the centre of Tulbagh valley and most of its 350 hectares can be cultivated. The Klein Berg River that forms the farm’s western border is flanked by deep hydromorphic sandy alluvial soils and hydromorphic sandy loam duplex soils; these run into boulder beds deposited millennia ago when the river was considerably larger than today. Due to the fertility of the soils, we do not plant vineyards here; but rather olive and fruit orchards instead.
The vineyards found on Waveren are planted on the mid-valley medium-deep soils that have developed from Pre-Cambrian age Malmesbury shale. The aspect is moderate east with an average height of 160 to 185 meters above sea level. The rainfall is 500 – 600 mm per year, mostly from June to September. The general wind direction is southeast, providing most of the cooling effect in the afternoons. The wind velocity is generally more intense than against the mountain but of shorter duration.
Unique diversity of terroir
We are fortunate in that Saronsberg as a farm consists of two portions (Waveren and Welgegund) that stretch from the middle of the valley up to Saronsberg mountain. The two furthest points suited to viticulture are about four kilometres apart from one another and are situated in two different micro-climates. Owing to these differences we have set upon replanting much of the existing vineyards, utilising the different micro-climates to their full potential to produce unique terroir-driven wines.
Saronsberg’s soils can be broadly classified into three categories depending on their location:
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Mountain foot slopes (Welgegund farm against Saronsberg mountain)
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Deposited boulder beds and sandy-loam alluvial soils (Waveren farm around the Klein Berg River); and
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Mid-valley shales (Waveren farm towards the centre of the Tulbagh valley)
Usually, the wines produced from the Welgegund vineyards have more floral notes with enhanced elegance. These wines form the foundation of our Provenance range and also serve as blending components in our Saronsberg range.
The backbone of the Saronsberg range
The grapes from Waveren form the backbone of the Saronsberg range as we get more concentrated colour and flavour with a firm tannin structure.
Initially, a complete soil and temperature analysis of all the potential vineyard sites was done on both farms to determine their suitability for grape production. This information was used to decide which cultivars, clones and rootstock combinations were to be planted on the specific sites to maximise grape quality.
We utilise these differences in soil, temperature conditions and clone/rootstock combinations between the two farms to produce wines with varying flavour profiles, which provides us with more blending options. The resulting wines have a broader, layered flavour profile with more depth. The soils selected had similar characteristics, such as good drainage, good water retention, good aeration and inducing moderate vigour.
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