I've been a visitor to the Cederberg since 1982. I'm passionate about this area and its people, who live a fascinating lifestyle, many off the grid. I'm privileged to be called a friend, a virtual 'member of the family' by some of the people. This blog is my personal record of more than 35 years visiting this fantastic, rugged and mountainous region of the Western Cape, South Africa. The photo above shows the house that C Louis Leipoldt's family occupied. Now used as guest accommodation.

Recent Posts

Just below the famous Wolfberg Cracks lies an ancient landscape dotted with mysterious Stonehenge-looking rocks but placed there by nature, not made by man.  



Ons Huisie Sanddrif - a makeover of a house full of heritage

The Niewoudt family recently re-fitted Ons Huise, an early farmhouse on the farm Sanddrif, now a famous tourist resort and base for rock climbers.

Home to the Leipoldt family a long time ago, pre-dating the Nieuwoudt ownership of the farm, Ons Huisie now looks like this:


To the left is a comfortable braai area and recently a pergola was introduced and planted with a grapevine. 

And here are our guests, the Griffiths family (no relative) from the States, former South Africans.


Longavi Pinot Noir 2014

Enjoyed this win immensely with Italian food at the newly reopened Limoncello Restaurant in Noordhoek.

Longavi comes from the Maule River Valley to the South of Santiago, Chile.



Why is this wine featured on a Cederberg Blog? 

You may well ask? 

David Nieuwoudt, South Africa's wine sensation from the Cederberg and also the Elim area has collaborated with the owners of the Longavi vineyard over a number of years and has helped them to produce some really stunning wines.

Tasting notes:

I was reminded of why I bought this Pinot Noir a few years back. It has a very strong backbone and for my palate I enjoy its strong Pinot Noir red wine character. There are strong flavours of nuts - I tasted walnut - grapes and beautiful tannins. 

That is why I enjoy it. I am not a fan of the European winemaking tradition of producing pinot noir as if it were a white grape. I believe that David succeeded wonderfully in bringing out the naked character of the Pinot Noir and that time has matured it beautifully.




Of course, the dinner started off with another star of the show: The Ghost Corner Bowline 2017.

Wow. This is incredible. It has a unique character combination of Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon grapes. There is just something about the way that David has combined the two varietals to make the wine that makes for a taste bud sensation. Teegan's favourite wine by a long shot. In fact,she asked me to bring this bottle back from my trip to the Cederberg Winery last month. And she was there to enjoy it with us at Limoncello.