Quoin Rock Winery | Background

Quoin Rock Wine Farm is a 158 hectare piece of land that lies on the slopes of the Simonsberg Mountain in the premier wine producing region of Stellenbosch, South Africa.

Farmers already recognised the potential of the foothills of the Simonsberg by 1694, and by 1793 most of the land had been acquired by Martin Melck. Chances are it was he who gave the name “Knorhoek”, meaning “the place where lions growl”, to the area where Quoin Rock is now situated. Prior to it being known as Knorhoek, this area was known as the “Clay Hole” –indicative of the high red clay content in the soils of these slopes.

Knorhoek Estate decided to subdivide in 1998 and 158 ha was sold. The piece of land that was sold was being farmed with vineyards, pears and clementines. The slopes have mostly south-easterly and south-westerly aspects varying from 100m to 550m above sea level, enjoying the benefits of cooling breezes during the ripening months. These slopes also tend to be exposed to the strong southerly winds and the viticulture has to be adapted to protect the vines. The soils on the Simonsberg consist of variations of decomposed granite and sandstone. Generally the soils are deep, with no barriers to the developing vine roots. The soils are well aerated showing shades of yellow to deep red.

The land was purchased by Caledonia Wine Farm (Pty) Ltd in 1998 and construction began of the cellar, manor house and farm infrastructure. Along with this there was a replanting program which involved removing most of the old vineyard that was diseased and replanting with the best available plant material in the country.

The vineyard replanting program commenced in 2000 which involved the removal of all old virus infected vineyards along with all the pear trees to make place for selected wine grape cultivars specially suited to the growing conditions in this area. Selected cultivars were planted over a two year period and consisted of Cabernet Sauvignon, Shiraz, Viognier, Merlot, Cabernet Franc, Mouvedre and Sauvignon Blanc.

The first production year of the cellar was in 2001.

Quoin Rock also owns and manages a property in the Cape Agulhas region, the southernmost part of South Africa. The cooler and slightly more humid conditions in Cape Agulhas are due to the strong influence of the ocean, and varieties such as Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay and Merlot, which benefit from cooler ripening conditions yield fruit of a unique quality. The fruit is hand picked into small plastic crates and transported in a refrigerated truck to the Quoin Rock winery in Stellenbosch.

Quoin Rock is critically aware of the sensitivity of the environment and special efforts are made to use environmentally responsible farming methods to encourage and preserve the rich biodiversity of local fauna and flora.