Harvest marks the moment when the vineyard’s accumulated energy begins its journey into wine. Over the year, the vines gather sunlight, water and nutrients from the soil, building that energy in the fruit. Every decision—walking the blocks, pruning, tending cover crops and managing canopies—shapes how this energy is retained and ultimately carried into harvest.
This year, Harvest 2026 has arrived early at Rondekop. After a warm season with many hot days and little rain since September, we are picking nearly two weeks earlier than last year. While thunderstorms affected other parts of the Cape in early February, our mountain amphitheatre remained dry. In the Banghoek Valley, where elevation and cooling winds help preserve freshness, this dryness is an advantage. It has produced small, uniform berries with a high skin-to-juice ratio and concentrated flavours.
The season alone does not determine the outcome. Rondekop has long had the natural elements for producing energetic wines: altitude, cooling winds, granitic soils, and a rounded hill that influences airflow. In recent years, our shift towards a regenerative, nature-led approach has been about working with these forces through our choices in the vineyard and the cellar.
Our regenerative farming treats the vineyard as a living system in which soils, vines, fynbos, animals, and people all play a role. Every action supports vine health and helps capture the vineyard’s energy in the grapes.
Precision is where this philosophy becomes visible. It does not stop at the cellar door. Here, Nic and his team ensure meticulous berry-by-berry sorting, gentle pressing, and careful handling. It is painstaking work; the kind that makes no sense on a spreadsheet but every kind of sense when you are tasting from a barrel or, ultimately, a bottle years later.
And so, this vintage underscores our core purpose: to capture the vineyard’s energy and let it emerge in the wine. As these young wines complete fermentation and begin their evolution in the cellar, it is rewarding to consider their potential. Subtle yet expressive, they carry Rondekop’s energy, and we are only beginning to unlock it.