The Vineyard Connection | Specialist Wine Shop and Exporter, wine Club & Wine Freight Solutions

The Wineshop

Discover exceptional wines

Nestled in the heart of Stellenbosch, our craft-boutique wine shop offers a unique blend of international appeal and industrial charm.
The rustic ambiance of exposed brick and metal accents creates an inviting backdrop for exploring our handpicked selection of wines from all winemaking areas in South Africa.

Whether you're a wine aficionado or a casual enthusiast, our intimate space invites you to discover exceptional wines.

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Testimonials

The wines arrived today, all ship shape and Bristol fashion. I really have to thank you for your amazing service and support, and looking forward to a continued long and happy relationship with you.

Andrew - Japan

Just to let you know: the wine has arrived this morning and everything ist perfect - thank you for arranging everything!

Insa - Germany

Incredible collection of some of the very best wines the Cape has to offer!

Jason

Many many thanx for your always fast and professional cooperation! Was a big pleasure and satisfaction

Adriaan - Switzerland

We have got the wines!!!!! Once more thousand thanks from all of us!!

Thomas and Family, Switzerland

Any wine enthusiasts dream! Amazing selection and knowledgeable sales people.

Fred

Thanking you once again for the great, professional support with the wine delivery during this rather difficult time.

Volker - Germany

Thank you very much for your help. It's so nice to deal with someone so thoughtful and efficient.��

Nicola

Thank you for organising - fantastic service! Thoroughly recommended!

Peter

Feels like Sonoma!

Michael, San Francisco, USA

Very knowledgeable!

Shaun, United Kingdom

Recent events

Paserene and the Swallow

Martin Smiths passion for big wines with unmistakable personality shines through in Paserene�s premium range. Made to showcase the unique character of their terroir, these bold and expressive wines are built to age gracefully! His Elgin Chardonnay is refined layered and textured, with his Union Rhone blend, being bold, elegant and seductive. The Marathon from Tulbagh grapes, is an intensely structured Cabernet and ready for the long haul!

Sakkie Mouton does deliveries! This time with his Vermentino and Colombard 2025.

The Vloedvlak Colombard from old vines on the banks of Olifantsriver, about 25 klm from the Atlantic ocean is named after the commonly used manner of flood irrigation in the regions where vineyards are in close proximity to the Olifants River. This wine is Unfined and unfiltered with delicious Umami savory notes with hints of lime and peach. His SSSand Erf Vermentino, once again up the West Coast has loads of peaches, floral, and liime flavours with an intense sensation of saltiness from the skin contact component.

Platters, Tim Atkin and much much more

Its been a busy few months with Platter Elves, but we look forward to receiving the hard copies of the Platter Guide 2026 soon! In the meantime our shelves are packed with these and other delicious gems!

Restlless River Release

Restless River, home to the oldest Cabernet� Sauvignon and Chardonnay vines in the Hemel-en-Aarde, have released their new vintages. With a new name for their younger vineyard Chardonnay and Pinot Noir , the KLEIN HEMEL wines punch way above their weight. Their Single Vineyard Ave Maria Chardonnay, is once again an exceptional benchmark for that varietal, with the Le Luc Pinot Noir showing great finesse and elegance. Their Main Road & Dignity Cabernet Sauvignon 2022 has delicious berry fruit on the palate with a rich succulent finish. Something special to put down and enjoy in 5 to 10 years.

EDEN High-Density Cabernet Franc & Chenin Blanc 2023 Release with the exciting addition of VLAG Cabe

Bruwer Raats has dedicated his life to mastering these two varietals, driven by a clear vision: "to create perfection". We had the privilege of tasting a vertical of every vintage of both the Chenin Blanc and Cabernet Franc, and there is no doubt that Bruwer, together with his sons, now an integral part of the team, are well on their way to achieving exactly that. The newest addition to the range, VLAG Cabernet Franc, is a more modern and approachable expression of the varietal, showcasing vibrant blackberry fruit and irresistible�drinkability

Duncan Savage's New Release

A fantastic new release from Duncan and his team! We had the chance to taste the wines last week, and the 2024 vintage is looking very impressive. Duncan Savage works with small parcels of vineyards across the Cape. The Savage White blends Sauvignon Blanc and Semillon from high-lying, wind-battered sites, while the Savage Red is Syrah on granite � lean, fragrant, and precise. His single-vineyard wines include Follow the Line, built on Darling Cinsault; Girl Next Door, a tiny 0.38ha Syrah block in Noordhoek; Never Been Asked to Dance, old Paarl Chenin rescued from obscurity; Are We There Yet, a Swartland Grenache blend; Thief in the Night, Grenache, Cinsault and Syrah from Piekenierskloof; and Not Tonight Josephine, a rare straw wine made only in exceptional vintages.

Sadie 2024 - something special

Another brilliant release by Sadie with 2 additional wines to add to the portfolio, total now at 13 wines! With 64 dedicated Sadie Vineyard blocks scattered around the Swartland, Piekernieskloof, Vredendal, Stellenbosch and others, it was thanks to his new cellar, that he managed to bring in all the grapes in just 35 picking days!

The new Red blend - Sonvang includes 11 cultivars such as Alicante Bouchet, Pontac, Lleudonner Pelut, Tinta Barocca, Agiorgitiko, Grenache, Pinotage and others, is a rich, meaty, minty mouthwateringly delicious wine.
The Twiswind, from 1.14 hectars of interplanted rows of 12 varietals, is made up of Vermentino, Piquepoul, Marsanne, Grenache, Cinsaut Blanc, Palamino, Assyrtiko and others

Both Columella and Palladius 2023 are for us, some of the best yet!!

Alheit 2024 is (almost) here!

The 2024 vintage is small - very small - but in Chris Alheit's own words, it might be 'one of the best' yet in terms of quality. We tasted the range earlier this week, and every wine is already showing remarkable clarity, focus, and finesse. Lara's all time favourite Hereafter Here is just singing this year, Cartology is as delicious as ever and we haven't started talking about the Single Vineyards yet. Nautical Dawn, from an old Stellenbosch vineyard, is showing incredible precision and like Chris said is 'such an arrogant bastard of a wine'. He's extremely happy with his Fire by Night from the Paardeberg with its racy finesse and depth in the mouth. The pair of Skurfberg Chenin are on another level this year, Huilkrans has the best nose ever, and in our opinion, Magnetic North might just be the wine of the century. Don't forget about Monument Semillon this year, this 80 year-old vineyard is a cornerstone in Chris' production, and a wine for the ages.

Chris Mullineux stopped by to share the latest Leeu Passant release with us.

Always a treat to taste these wines, the Leeu Passant Stellenbosch Chardonnay is from the cooler, Helderberg higher-lying vineyards, with gorgeous flinty texture and depth. The Cabernet Sauvignon is Chris and Andrea's vision of top Stellenbosch Cab: powerful and bold with silky tannins and amazing bright fruit. The Wellington Cinsault comes from South Africa�s oldest red wine vineyards, with the incredible Leeu Passant Red easily able to outlast most wines and bring much joy for another 20 years.

A Celebration of 21 Years of Friendship & M R de Compostella

With the Maiden Release of MR Vesperi 23, Bruwer and Mzo have really done something special with this exceptional wine! Made from equal parts Sauvignon Blanc, S�millon, and Chenin Blanc, it has vibrant notes of lemon curd, ripe apricot, and a hint of meringue. This beautiful wine has a creamy texture and a rich layered complexity, that calls you back for more! MR de Compostella '22, also just released, is once again a Worldclass Bordeaux Blend showing such elegance and class! With great aging potential yet approachable now with its fine soft tannins.

Paulus Wine Co

After many years as winemaker at Sadie Family Wines, Paul and Pauline have released two stunning Chenins from Paul's favourite vineyard spots in SA. Bart�s comes from a special vineyard on the Helderberg, a Chenin with bright fruit and that kind of complexity you don�t find everywhere! Bosberaad is from a 1980 vineyard on the Paardeberg and brings a slight hint of reduction and saltiness that emphasises and elevates freshness to the wine. All the best for their new venture, I'de keep a close eye out on what lies ahead!

It runs in the family!

Last month we were lucky to have JZ Mullineux drop by the shop. At just 15 years old, JZ is already making exceptional wine under his Zamboni label. He introduced us to his 2021 Syrah from Swartland and the 2022 Lledoner Pelut, a rare grape varietal originating from Spain, and only planted by Mullineux and Kloovenburg in South Africa. Its also known as Garnacha Peluda, a cousin of Grenache, and is often used in blends in Spain and France. JZ has made this delicious single varietal showing bold grippy structure, warm delicious fruit with a spicy smooth finish. Both are now available in our shop in Stellenbosch and rate as one of our favourites!

Cape Winermakers Guild

Erica Obermeyer popped into the warehouse to check on her CWG wines! Vineyard Connection the proudly appointed courier of The Cape Winemakers Guild for over 24 years!

Celebrating 100 Years of Pinotage!

Today we honour Francois Naude on Pinotage Day for his incredible contribution to Pinotage and the SA Wine Industry!

Mullineux Single Vineyard Release

We are really excited to have the latest release of Single Vineyard Mullineux wines on our shelves with a few special bottles of their famous Olerasay!

Porseleinberg 2022 has arrived!

Callie Louw has once again set the bar high for the latest release of his Porseleinberg Syrah. The 2022 clinched a 99 points from Tim Atkin and Best Overall Red Wine of the Year. We're delighted to have some bottles at The Vineyard Connection, contact us or pop in the shop to grab a bottle.

Bruce Jack with his Ghost in the Machine push experimental boundaries, with great results

Malbec, a cultivar not seen enough as a single varietal in South Africa, is commonly blended with Merlot and Petit Verdot in Right Bank Bordeaux. However the more fruit forward Malbecs from Argentina dominate, with over 75% of all Malbec plantings worldwide. Bruce Jacks Malbec with a dash of Viognier, bursts with wild berry flavours, has great structure and tannin with hints of fynbos, rosemary and tobacco leaf.

Sadie 2023 Release

A wonderful day with the Sadies on the farm tasting the new '23 release of the Ouwingerdreeks in their brand new cellar! Columella and Palladius, both 2022, really are worldclass wines! Fun fact I learned is that the Swartland, on paper, has the biggest planting of Tinta Barocca in the world! Yet this is the lowest yielding of all Portugese Varietals. Treinspoor, 100% Tinta Barocca, is planted on Greywacke Sandstone and Granite Quartz, and is a wonderful mix of dark red fruit, is supple and trim, and shows the elegant side of this varietal.

WINART Magazine

Wonderful to be featured in and on the front page of the Japanese Wine Magazine, Winart!

Hogan Release 2023

A busy week with new releases, but a real spoil to share Jocelyns family home with some very special wine friends. Her delicious and interesting release of "The Lift" a flor syle wine, which is pure and true! Only 522 bottles made. Jocelyn, true to her nature, has a very lovely gentle and honest way with her wines, there are no shortcuts in her cellar and her focus has certainly paid off

Scions of Sinai

This special area in Helderberg on the slopes of Sinai Hill, are producing some exceptional wines. Bernard Bredell is passionate about the farm, its history and the great soils around the area. He is making very elegant, layered and complex wines, with Swanesang, Granietsteen and my personal favourite Krummelklip, showing '23 as an excellent vintage.

Thistle and Weed in their beautiful new Cellar!

A special Vertical of Kakibos from first release 2018 to 2023, from interesting Portugese varietals with the 2023 blend of 45% Verdelho, 19% Chenin, 15% Alberino, 11% Palomino and 10% Fernao Pirez. This A-Team is certainly coming up with some show stoppers, with the Duwweltije, Springdoring, Nastegal and Knapsekerel Cab Franc showing really beautifully! P. Jackson - Port for short - is packed full of delicious plum pudding and squashed into a tiny bottle. Well worth including with your next cheese board.

Epilogue 2022

2021 was awarded 100 Points by Tim Atkin! Looking forward to seeing what this gem will do this year. Very limited stock

The Wonderful Mr Williams

I met Chris at Klein Constantia more than 25 years ago, which was the start to his wine journey. From Meerlust to The Foundry, has proved great success, and his newly released Geographica range of Bonsai Chenin Blanc and Thoreau Cab Franc is no exception.

Hannes Storm pops in

A fleeting visit on Friday from Hannes Storm really made one of our visitors from Napa Valleys day! Peggy and her husband popped in for a few really special wines, and were treated to a brief chat with Hannes - We are really looking forward to his release quite soon, and it was such a pleasure meeting Peggy and her husband!

Tesselaarsdal

Darren popped into the shop today to show off his mom, Berene's, delicious 2023 Tesslaarsdal Chardonnay and Pinot Noir. Doing his first year at Elsenburg, he is passionate about wine, having worked at Hamilton Russell, Creation and Mousehall with Gary Jordan. Goodluck with your ventures Darren, mom can be super proud.

Larger format bottles always a treat at a dinner party

A few Sadie Magnums available and stock up with a delicious Gin for the weekend.

Alexander and Jan

Winemaker and Cinsaut prodigy Alex Milner, and Jan Solms a Freelance brand Designer and Label Master par excellence got together to label some beautiful old Cinsaut from Bellevue. Made from Old Vines, this 2018 wine promises to be quite delicious. With some clever label tricks, this fun packaging will soon be on our shelves and ready to enjoy.

21 Years of dedicated and amazing service!

Known to many in the industry for seemless deliveries of samples and all things wine, Helene Schoeman has been the cornerstone to our Freight Department at Vineyard Connection. This year sees her heading up TVC Freight for 21 incredible years! Thank you to her for all her incredible dedication and commitment and for her care to all in the industry.

Alheit Magnums

Chris and Suzaan Alheit have built up an incredible name with their wines - their aim is clear - "Heritage wine from dry-farmed old bushvine sites, made carefully and simply." Each of these Chenins, bottled in Magnums, are beautifully terroir driven, and are perfect gifts or companions for the holiday season. The larger format allows the wine to age slowly giving more longevity, but is also great fun to share with friends at your Christmas table.

Congratulations

Well done to The Sadie Family Wines for being the Top Performing Winery of the Year for the 4th time! With 7 Five Stars in this edition, it is very well deserved!

Platter Wines 2024!

Pop into the shop to get your hands on some of the new 5 Star Platter wines!

MR de Compostella 2021!

There something particularly special about the 2021 Vintage of de Compostella! A worldclass wine and worthy of its accolades! Well done Bruwer Raats, well deserving too of TA Winemaker of the year 2023!

David and Nadia 2022 Release

David Sadie joined us at Vineyard Connection last week with some fellow wine friends, to show off his 2022 release. The most challenging of vintages in the Swartland, with early rains and four heatwaves during harvest, David has worked his magic! With numerous pickings - 13 times over 10 days on his Platbos Chenin - these vines ranging from 1968 to 1984 held up, and the small berries have created these elegant, tight and complex wines. His 4 single varietal Chenins are very limited, but his Aristagos, Chenin Blanc, Elpidios and Grenache are available, on our shelves, and a real treat.

Markus Sadie

A visit from Markus Sadie this morning to drop off his very first wine ! An absolutely delicious Chenin blend, Die Waterhuis! Grapes from vineyards he and Xander, his brother planted on the Sadie farm years ago. Markus worked for us while he was studying and is currently working in Napa. Watch this space, he's only just begun! The first shop to see this special wine - very limited - very delicious!

Vintners 2023!

Vintners 2023 in Stilbay, was once again a resounding success, and for many, the best yet! Well done to Pieter Walser of Blankbottle for his win in the comp and the Gunther Schultz for his work in putting this together. Vineyard Connection is proud to be associated with this amazing group of winemakers and to help contribute in the sponsorship of the event. Looking forward to the next one!

A spectacular Monday in the Swartland with the Sadie's

The 2022 Ouwingereeks and 2021 Signature wines, are truly exceptional, and with the new addition of their first Swartland Chenin, Rotsbank, the 3 chenins are a treat to compare side by side. Their new vineyard Rotsbank, which borders the Sadie farm, is planted on a very shallow granite shelf, and is the first vineyard in the Swartland to ripen each year. This wine is flinty, reductive and grippy and is well worth the wait for their first Swartland Chenin! Some of these gems, although in very short supply, are for sale in our shop at the end of the month.

Steilpad Chenin Blanc 2022

Jorrie De Plessis, the former winemaker at Lammershoek, popped into the shop yesterday with his new release. He is the 4th generation to farm Steilpad Farm in Paarl. This delicious Chenin has layers of baked quince and pear with warm citrus acidity and a lovely lingering finish. The minerality along with a tiny subtle tannin gives depth and spiciness to this wine. An absolutely delicious pure reflection of this South African fruit - Very soon to be released and available in our shop.

A visit by Tyrrel to show his exciting new Joostenberg releases

Some great wines in this farm's stable, from the delicious Myburgh Bros Old Vine Chenin Blanc 2022 - packed full of peaches and melons to KlippeKou Syrah, and the more authentic and classic Philip Albert Cabernet Sauvignon 2018. Pop in to the shop - Monday to Friday 9 to 5pm to make up a pack of delicious winter warmers.

Thistle and Weed

Duwweltjie, Khakibos, Brandnetel, Knapsekerel, Springdoring and Nastergal. These beautifully made wines by Stephanie and Etienne, are named after the weeds growing between the vines on each site. Duweltjie with its elegant and broad mid palate, to Khakibos with its saltiness and long lingering finish. These wines are perfectly matched with Oysters, salty Parmesan cheese and rich curriy.

Another winner from Chris Williams!

The Foundry Geographic Bonsai Chenin Blanc 2020 These grapes, from an old Helderberg vineyard, were planted in 1957, bearing very small bunches with tiny golden yellow berries. Chris says these gnarley old vines are small,and resemble old bonsai bushes, hence the name. This wine has beautiful concentration, rich and full on the palate, with a fresh acidity and a deliciously long finish.

Staying Alive Riesling

A collaboration between Delheim and Hammel Estate in Germany, is a culmination of a 40 year friendship between these two families, entrenched in the wine worlds of South Africa and Germany. We were paid a special visit by Christoph Hammel and Nora Sperling a few weeks back, and tasted this exceptional Riesling. The gregarious Christoph tells the story of the Suisse yeast which was used in this wine to kickstart fermentation. This yeast, known as the "Sleeping Beauty" or 1895C, was isolated from wine residue left over from a bottle of Swiss wine made in 1895. This is the first time that a dormant yeast found in very old wine has been resuscitated and grown for commercial use again. This is a delicious Riesling with balance of fruit to acidity well tied up and with a richly creamy mouthfeel. Pop in to pick up a bottle

Luddite 21 years Old!!

We were happy to have seen Niels Verburg from Luddite last week, who popped in to showcase his new and exciting releases! � His 2020 Shiraz is simply fantastic, celebrating their 21 years of winemaking! Its a beautifully balanced wine, quintessential Luddite, with a deep dark core fruit, cloves, spice and delicious saltiness on the finish. The very limited Luddite Chenin of which only 2500 bottles were made, has a beautiful saline minerality on the pallet, great structure and is a superb food wine. The two blended wines in the same stable are the Saboteur White and Red, both in crown cap, are drinking so well, and are all available at The Wineshop at Vineyard Connection.