I have never seen a rotating ceiling in the winery before. Anthonij Rupert in Franschhoek takes their gravity wine production quite seriously, and the whole operation feels a bit James Bond-esque. There are barrels being suspended on ropes, rotating hoppers and I swear I saw a Dalek.
This is the state-of-the-art winery of the Rupert family. The operation in Franschhoek started in 1969 when Anton Rupert, a successful businessman and entrepreneur from the Eastern Cape, purchased a wine farm in Stellenbosch. His son, Anthonij Rupert, took care of the winemaking and developed a handful of wines in a growing portfolio. A tragic car crash ended Anthonij’s life in 2001, and his older brother Johann took over the family winery in 2003 although most of the modern developments have been done in Anthonij’s honour – including changing the name as an ode to his career in wine.
On their Franschhoek site, they have around 80 hectares under vine but the family holdings reach much further and the family is involved in some larger wine estates in South Africa as well. However I was on a wine mission with Wine Paths in order to learn a bit about the Franschhoek estate and taste through some of their wines.
There are two separate facilities to visit in Franschhoek, which can be done on one visit or split entirely. The first is the family home in a traditional and historic cottage of Cape Dutch architecture where you can taste through their Cap Classique sparkling wine range, and the second is the rather impressive wine tasting room and winery. It is here where they have a tasting room available to try almost everything and an intimate antipasti bar that overlooks the bottling line – which usually offers plenty of action!
At the bar, I jumped on the chance to interview their winemaker Mark van Buuren about some of their premium whites:
Take a look at the photo gallery here to see why this is a rather handsome winery to visit in Stellenbosch –
My visit to Anthonij Rupert was in association with Wine Paths: offering luxury and exclusive wine tours and experiences in wine regions around the world. You can book your own visit online here.
