About the Winery

ONE OF THE OLDEST SURVIVING SANDVELD FARMS ON THE WEST COAST OF AFRICA  Tierhoek’s cellar and vineyards are nestled in a mountain bowl amongst the peaks of the Piekenierskloof, 760m above sea level, where the vines remain  dormant during the cold winters.Tierhoek’s small volumes allow focus to be maintained on producing quality wines. The word "Tier" is a local word for leopard and " Hoek " is the corner as we are situated in a mountain bowl.

The vines come to life at the same time as the mountain flowers and are kept cool by the soft summer breezes of the Atlantic Ocean, producing wines of intense fruit flavours and minerality.

The Marais family began farming Tierhoek in 1886, and in 2001 new owners, Tony and Shelley Sandell, restored the Sandveld buildings and nurtured the neglected 44 year old Chenin and Grenache vines back to working condition.

All of this has been done hand-in-hand with the abundant nature that surrounds Tierhoek, enabling it exclusive membership of the Biodiversity and Wine Initiative (BWI).  No pesticides or herbicides are used in the vineyards and all winemaking is natural – nothing is removed from or added to the wines except yeast culture in some wines and minimal SO2.

Winemaker, Roger Burton, graduated from Stellenbosch University with a viticulture and oenology degree. His philosophy is “balance in the vineyards” to produce grapes of optimal ripeness and wines which clearly express their terroir .