Annandale Wines - Premium Weingut in Stellenbosch, Südafrika

Hempies Du Toit, owner, winegrower and winemaker of the Annandale Winery in Stellenbosch, South Africa, is dedicated to the creation of first-class and highly endowed red wines.

Hempies du Toit is the fifth generation of South African Huguenot winemakers in his family, with roots dating back to the founding of South Africa. He grew up on South Africa's famous Alto Wine Estate, one of the oldest wineries in the country. His career began as a successful rugby player for South Africa's national Springbok team. After having pressed 25 vintages on the Alto Wine Estate, he acquired the 75 ha Annandale Winery in September 1996 and left the Alto Winery in 2000 to continue his family tradition through an independent project.

With a history dating back to 1679, Annadale Wines is the oldest winery in the Helderberg Valley, situated on the slopes of the Helderberg Mountain in Stellenbosch. Vineyards have been cultivated on the historic estate for over 315 years. Today, 45 hectares of the 75 hectare farm are planted with vines of the Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Merlot and Cabernet Franc varieties.

Annandale's vines benefit from a real abundance of sunlight, especially in the summer months. The cooling sea breezes from False Bay also provide sufficient cooling, which results in a long ripening period and preserves wonderful nuances of taste and aromas in the grapes, thus increasing the complexity of the grape.

The resulting wines are a true and authentic reflection of the passion for wine making and the love of classically elegant wines. A wonderful expression of the terroir and the respective grape varieties. Annandale's wines are produced exclusively from the farm's own grapes.

Hempies du Toits philosophy is to adhere to the time-honoured winemaking and viticulture methods - approaches that have promised quality at the highest level for centuries, through minimal intervention in the natural fermentation and maturation processes of the wines.