Wildehurst Wines is tucked away between rolling wheat fields in the small town of Koringberg, Swartland, South Africa.

We produce hand-crafted white, rose and red wine in two ranges. The Velo range consists of fruit driven, well balanced easy drinking wines while the more premium Wildehurst range is more complex. 2016 saw the addition of a Methode Cap Classique to our collection.

Joanne Hurst, the owner, planted a garden vineyard consisting of 90% Shiraz and 10% Viognier vines in 2006. In 2009 she produced her first wine, The Wildehurst Red, by co-fermenting the Shiraz and Viognier and aging the wine in French oak barrels for 18 months.

To date the Wildehurst Red remains the flagship of our boutique cellar and Joanne’s vineyard never seems to disappoint when it comes to quality.  Since their maiden vintage the Wildehurst Red and the Wildehurst Chenin Blanc (made from 30 year old bush vines) has annually received a rating of at least four stars by Platter’s South African Wine Guide among numerous other awards.  In 2017 we were honoured to receive a rating for 4 and a half stars for five of our wines in Platter’s South African Wine Guide.

At the end of 2013 the business grew to the point where it was necessary to appoint a full time winemaker and with a degree in Oenology and Viticulture, Sheree Nothnagel, joined Wildehurst as winemaker.

In 2014 we planted 500 Mourvedre and 900 Grenache Noir vines next to the cellar that came into production in 2017.

We believe in minimal intervention when it comes to winemaking.  All our grapes are hand harvested from selected sites in the Swartland. We do not add any acid, commercial yeast or commercial enzyme, choosing to rather let the wild enzymes and yeast take over.

Currently Wildehurst Wines produce 16 000 bottles of wine annually.

This beautiful crest was designed by Joanne Hurst, using components of the things that she loves the most:

Her husband, her dogs and the spectacular area where she lives.

The crest depicts two schnauzer heads at the top. On the right is her beloved Sam and on the left is her Clark. The sun and the trees are part of the Hurst family coat of arms.

The name “Hurst” translates to a wooded hill and coincidentally that is exactly what the Koringberg is. There are Aloe leaves and olive branches, two plants very common in the Swartland, found at the sides of the crest.

An amphora at the bottom to the right represents Joanne’s desire to make wine as naturally as possible. This is also the reason why she joined the Swartland Independent Producers in their mission to make wine using minimal intervention. Two stoneware amphoras are being used for winemaking at the Wildehurst winery.

Joanne’s garden vineyard is illustrated at the bottom to the left.

The font for the name Wildehurst was designed by the internationally renowned, and very talented artist, André van Vuuren, who also helped with the design of the crest. (www.andrevanvuuren.co.za)

The “Velo” label is a bit of genuine Retro, unearthed by the winery owner Joanne, of her husband Chris Hurst (on the left) in the mid 1950’s.

English winters were cold and wet and these two young men did not aspire to sun-kissed SA wines.

Only beer.

Chris and his lifelong friend John still own “Velo’s” and at “Wildehurst” stands a 500cc Venom Velocette of 1964 Vintage.

Seeing as Joanne Hurst loves her red wine, even during the hot Swartland summers, the Velo Red was destined to be created.

A wine that can only be described as a mid summer’s dream gushes with ripe berries and hints of perfume. 

Since then the Velo Blanc and Velo Rose were also added to the “Velo” range.

A herd of wildebeest can move only as fast as the slowest wildebeest, and when the herd is hunted, it is the slowest and weakest animals at the back that are killed first.

This natural selection improves the herd by regular culling of the weakest members.

In much the same way, the human brain can only operate as fast as the slowest brain cells.

Excessive intake of alcohol, we all know, kills off brain cells, but naturally it only kills off the slowest and the weakest brain cells first. In this way, regular consumption of wine eliminates the weaker brain cells, constantly making the brain a faster more efficient machine.