Kloovenburg

In South Africa's Swartland, Pieter du Toit and his family run a really smart operation centred on 130ha of mainly Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot, Shiraz, Chardonnay and Sauvignon Blanc. The best 20% of these grapes go into these hand-crafted Kloovenburg wines and they also run 30 hectares of olive groves to produce their award-winning oil. The vineyards stretch along the lower contours of Kasteel Mountain, where the north-easterly slopes have proved ideal for Shiraz and Cabernet Sauvignon and the south-westerly and easterly slopes favour Shiraz.

All the vines are trellised and 80% grow on slopes. Irrigation is limited to the minimum, with resulting low yields but high quality fruit. Winter rain, collected in storage dams against the mountain, supplies fresh water for supplementary irrigation. Conservation initiatives and the family's respect for nature illustrate how Kloovenburg has embraced the South African holy grail of bio-diversity.

The range is stuffed with interesting wines, particularly the White from Red. Made from Shiraz grapes, this fresh and dry Blanc de Noir is all red berries and sweet spice. The straight Shiraz is also a corker with heaps of liquorice, dried fruit, chocolate and white pepper - smooth and mellow to the max. Bags of flavour all round and really great value too.