It's been my privilege to know David Nieuwoudt, expert wine maker and viticulturist most of his life.
Viticulture in the Cederberg, started many decades prior to the first Cederberg Wines being bottled and coming to the market. Winemaking began seriously in the Cederberg under the hand of David's uncle, Flippie Nieuwoudt, who experimented with a number of varietals, mainly Pinotage, Chenin Blanc and Bukettraube. Later, Cabernet Sauvignon was introduced.
Under Flippie, winemaking received a kick start in the region and wine had a characteristic nose and palate, but did not keep too well in storage. With limited capital invested, Flippie did extremely well.
Today the wine making operation is sophisticated and internationally renown. It matures with age and careful storage and represents the best that the Cape has to offer.
David has extended his influence to other diverse regions also. He owns a vineyard in Elim near to Cape Aghulas, the southern-most vineyards in Africa. Grapes from Elim are brought a great distance to the Cederberg for production of wine there. His other wine interest is international. He is also wine maker for Longavi Wines in Chile.
But there is more than just wine. The Cederberg region is one of few original rootstock phylloxera-free areas in the world. More than a century ago, the vineyards of the word were swept by a pest attack of the rootstock that nearly stopped production on a global scale. Today, all wine coming from the Cederberg originates from vines having the original phylloxera-free rootstock. In the Cederberg, the original rootstock thankfully survived the epidemic all those years ago, due to its geographical isolation.
