Eikehof is situated 5km from Franschhoek, between the Franschhoek River at 185m and the Wemmershoek Mountain range at 375m above sea level. Eikehof benefits from a variety of soil types, ranging from rich alluvial soil on the banks of the Franschhoek River to sandy soil in the middle and Hutton on the slopes.
Noble cultivars grown on Eikehof are Sauvignon Blanc, Chardonnay, Semillon, Cabernet Sauvignon, Merlot and Shiraz. During summertime there is always a breeze that cools down the valley allowing, slower ripening of the grapes.
At Eikehof, they have a very natural approach to winemaking. They harvest at full ripeness to get the best extracts from the grapes.
Only 20% of the farms grape production is used for the cellar. The cellar has a capacity of 72 000 litres. A selection of small French and American oak barrels and stainless steel tanks are used. The white grapes are whole bunch pressed and the reds are fermented in open tanks and red wine fermenters. During fermentation in the open fermenters, the caps are pushed through by hand on a regular basis.
One of the oldest vineyard blocks in South Africa can be found on site and Semillon grapes planted in 1902 and still producing can be seen.
Cellar Tours and tastings: By Appointment Only
