South Africa ( De Gift, Road R311, Riebeek West, 7306, South Africa )
Pulpit Rock winery is located outside of Riebeck Kasteel in the Swartland. It has 480 hectare under wine and produces more than 6000t of grapes a year from which only a small amount is used for their own brand. Main Cultivars are- Chenin Blanc, Viognier, Chardonnay, Shiraz, Pinotage, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Petit Verdot Grenache, Mourvèdre
The farm dates back 300 years when Captain Olof Bergh of the Dutch East India Company was granted this land by Cape Governor Simon van der Stel. It was in Stel´s house were Olof met Anna de Koenig daughter of a freed slave whom he fell in love married in 1676 and started the farm in 1698 which was named Groos Phesantekraal. Records show that by 1756 over 40.000 wines had been planted. Since 1897 it belongs to the Brinks family. By then wine was not planted anymore and they ran it as a mixed farm with grains, cattle and sheep. Only in 1996 the first 50 hectare were planted. Still today around 50 tons of the best grapes are used for their own wines.
The heart and soul of the Brinks Family Winery (of which Pulpit Rock is part of) is. an 80 year old plus man, Ernst Brink. When we first visited the winery we met his son Hauman Brinks who didn’t really know what to do with winemerchants from Malta -where is Malta? -. So he rang his father and 10 minutes later a heavy truck arrived and out climbed this prototype of a Boer Farmer. Massive build but not tall, bold with ears that makes Prince Charles look normal. Vivid sharp eyes and hands that show decades of hard. work, with a fitting handshake. We felt that we were measured up, passed the test and even Hauman started to smile. Bottles were opened and a flow of stories began. We even were invited for a long weekend, two days only fresh Crab and Chenin Blanc and we felt sorry that we had to travel on missing it.