- Hartenberg Wine Estate has been farming regeneratively since 2017, incorporating animals into farming and viticultural practices to combat the effects of climate change.
- In the last two years, the wine estate has been working with the University of Stellenbosch to test and verify strategies to share with the industry at large.
- While regenerative agriculture had become a catch-all phrase for all manner of agricultural practices not organic in the past, Hartenberg and a whole movement of South African farmers are making strides to verify key strategies and, in effect, unofficially formalise the practice to share among each other.
- We met up with Hartenberg viticulturist and farmer Wilhelm Joubert, who shared a few key findings since last we spoke, making for some exciting insights and, potentially, even more enigmatic wines.
"Climate change is the slow poison of our time. It is our only challenge." - Carl Schultz.
Last year, I wrote about Hartenberg Wine Estate's commitment to regenerative wine farming in an effort to combat the effects of climate change. They are not alone. In fact, they represent a whole movement that centres around the principles of no-tilling, never-bare soil, and rewilding (a progressive approach to conservation), among other things. They have been researching different regenerative methods in conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch over the last two years. With the goal to share concrete findings and proven strategies with the industry at large and help map out a sustainable plan for the future to combat climate change in the wine industry.
Read the background story here: FEATURE | Hartenberg: Defining regenerative wine farming
"We're not in the business of certification, but verification." - Wilhelm Joubert, viticulturist and farmer, Hartenberg Wine Estate.
Organic farming has become a business of sorts, requiring expensive certifications based on a set of rules and regulations.
*Please note there are many examples of successful organic farming practices worldwide; I am only referring to it in reference to the inherent time and risk of converting to organic and the fact that the whole process has been formalised, certified and monetised.
Regenerative agriculture differs in that there is no certification and no rules, the goal being to farm as naturally as possible to improve soil health but intervene with insect-friendly chemicals (to avoid killing micro-organisms and insects) where unavoidable.
At its core, in terms of fighting climate change, it comes down to water, with the primary objective to introduce as much carbon back into the soil as possible to retain moisture and protect soil health and crops against future periods of drought- in effect, cultivating living soil.
There are many ways to achieve this, but mostly, it involves applying ancient principles in modern ways to ensure financial viability. Because in the end, the main goal of business is to stay in business, which becomes tricky when you introduce the variables of nature. However, the work of people like Zimbabwean, Allan Savory; the Savory Institute and American, Greg Judy Regenerative Rancher have proven that if you work with nature, the possibility of survival becomes infinitely more probable.
Their work in regenerative farming has inspired people like Wilhelm Joubert and Carl Schultz of Hartenberg Wine Estate to experiment and test these strategies for the South African market and offer a concrete guide to successful practices.
"To restore creation, that is my calling," says Wilhelm. It was difficult not to be inspired by his conviction as I got into his bakkie a few weeks ago. He had been busy since I last took a bakkie ride with him in 2023. They now have a flock of 20 Dorper sheep (21 as we visited, a little lamb was born that morning) that he "hides" on the farm, with the threat of theft a real thing in the area, and sheep an easy target.
There are also 48 runner ducks from Vergenoegd Löw, two geese, and 60 head of cattle, up by 20 from last year, including Dexters, Ngunis, and the famed Ankole with their regal horns.
Though Wilhelm will tell you that Dexters are fast becoming local to Stellenbosch, highly sought after for their meat, compact stature, and easy personality (sorry, "temperament", Wilhelm kept mixing up the words, a Freudian slip perhaps, given his obvious love for these animals).
They now also serve Dexter steaks and patties at the Hartenberg restaurant (he loves the meat), effectively completing the cycle and adding a new income stream to wine. The addition of sheep was a practical one, their smaller stature make them easier to move on the steeper slopes. Though high-density controlled grazing as a whole sounds like a tall order to me.
The premise is that the cattle and sheep graze on the cover crops (but only halfway, to ensure they trample the other half and so-doing spread the seeds to naturally grow again next season without having to replant cover crops, fulfilling the principle of no bare earth) and work their carbon-rich manure back into the soil. But to attain even fertilisation, they need to be restricted to small areas and moved often - making it a highly labour-intensive practice, though given the results, highly effective.
For the last two years, Hartenberg has been doing a study in conjunction with the University of Stellenbosch, student Monique Snughe, Brink van Zyl, the head of the animal science department, and agronomist Pieter Swanepoel to analyse the quality of wine produced from these high-density, controlled grazing vineyards, vs wine produced from non-grazed vineyards, investigating various variables.
The resulting wine proved lower in alcohol, with higher natural acidity and softer, rounder tannins, higher anthocyanins, which, when considering the health of the soil, the increase in biodiversity, the naturally regenerating cover crops, and healthy livestock, offering financial windfalls as well, all points toward a naturally and financially sustainable endeavour, notwithstanding the increased quality/health of the fruit and its natural safeguards against future drought.
Though this study is still in its infancy and requires much more data, the results look promising.
Wilhelm has also added a young assistant farmer, Akhona Songelwa, an Elsenburg graduate who bonded with him over his branded Dexter shirt (Wilhelm really likes the Dexters) at the Vida E coffee shop at Stellenbosch Square, then a barista there.
He professed his love of animals and inability to find work as a cattle farmer in Stellenbosch at the time. Wilhelm took this as a sign, and Akhona is now looking after the ducks and being groomed to take on more responsibilities with Wilhelm, animal farming adding a whole new dimension to viticulture.
From what I can tell, the only barrier to entry for regenerative agriculture is that you've got to love it because it is a way of life. Animal farming, while highly effective, is a full-time pursuit, from midwifery to general doctoring, policing, feeding, and general care - it's a lot, which entails, on top of farming vines and cover crops and planting to grow old, planting by site, cultivar, and clone, and harvesting.
It offers a whole new dimension to the concept of site-specificity, with the meat from these animals also retaining a sense of provenance. Which, if benefitting from Wilhelm and Akhona's patient hands and the Bottelary terroir, is pedigreed indeed. As they continue experimenting with regenerative practices, bringing in more animals, and identifying relevant species to fulfil key roles, the Hartenberg farm and wine estate is an experiment in action. The effort they put into cataloguing, verifying and sharing their findings with the industry is a public service - and proof of the proverbial grapevine in action.
It makes sense then that experimentation should continue in the actual vines, with their new plantings of Pontac (having vinified the almost extinct heritage grape before Chris Alheit - read A Cape Original: Chris Alheit ), and home to some of the very few plantings of Grenache Noir in Stellenbosch.
While we wait for the Pontac to come into production, you should try the Megan Grenache-led blend (R650 a bottle) and either of their Syrah (Gravel Hill R1275 or The Stork R1050) or The Eleanor Chardonnay (R535), all of which attained 95 Points in this year's Tim Atkin MW South Africa Report - proving their focus in the Super Premium category.
But it is winemaker and Cape Winemakers Guild Member Carl Schultz's focus on Merlot at this year's CWG Auction that still intrigues me, and by extension, Hartenberg's single varietal Merlot, which achieved 93 Points by Tim Atkin MW, given a historic dearth in quality SA Merlot.
Of the 2021, Tim wrote: "Graceful and elegant" is how Carl Schultz describes the 2021 reds, and that's certainly the case here. Engagingly herbal and floral, it's the kind of wine that could give Cape Merlot a good name, all red berry, paprika and capsicum flavours, stylish 40% new wood and a hint of graphite. 2025-32."
Carl is nothing if not steadfast in his support of the category. Best keep an eye. That CWG Auction Amphora Merlot 2021 did well at auction with total sales of R 353 000...
For now, visit Hartenberg's restaurant and enjoy its new menu and real farm-to-table experience. I told Wilhelm all we need now is milk. I'm thinking Hartenberg cheese, cream, ice cream... but he told me to calm down, so we wait (I have faith Wilhelm will see the light). Visit the website here.
