Alheit Vineyards | Hemelrand

Since their debut vintage in 2011, Chris and Suzaan Alheit have revolutionised the perception of South African white wine. Based at Hemelrand on the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge, their focus is not on their own winery, but on a vinous search across the Cape for its most precious resource: old, dry-farmed, heritage vineyards.

Alheit Vineyards is celebrated for restoring these low-yielding bush vines - many of them Chenin Blanc and Sémillon - to produce wines of profound purity, complexity, and mineral intensity. Their philosophy is simple: "The voice of the land, not the mark of the winemaker."

The Alheits embrace a minimalist, hands-off approach that allows the terroir to speak clearly. Fruit is sourced exclusively from vineyards generally aged 35 to 50+ years, farmed without irrigation. In the winery only indigenous, wild yeasts are used and maturation takes place in old barrels, concrete eggs, and foudres - never new oak - to ensure the vessels merely hold the wine, not flavour it. This meticulous, European-inspired approach results in wines that offer powerful concentration while maintaining a brilliant freshness and age-worthiness.