Meet the Winemakers

Producer: Ridgeback
Winemaker: Toit Wessels
Region: Paarl
Country: South Africa

From its first vintage of Red in 2001, where Ridgeback Shiraz won the coveted 5-star award in the John Platter SA Wine Guide, highly regarded winemaker, Toit Wessels has created an exceptional range of wines from a beautiful boutique vineyard situated on the northern slopes of the Paarl Mountains.

The farm surrounded by Granite hills looks over the panoramic scenery of the Limietberg Mountains. The terrain, abundant with natural fynbos provides ideal soil and drainage for the growth of the vineyards especially that of the red grape varieties.

The vineyards include the following red varieties - Shiraz, Merlot, Cabernet Sauvignon, Cabernet Franc, Mourvèdre, Petit Verdot and Grenache; the white varieties include Sauvignon Blanc and, unusually, Viognier. Ridgeback’s Cabernet Francs are widely regarded as some of the finest in the whole of the Cape.