About
Saurwein
Saurwein is Jessica Saurwein’s family surname, dating back to 17th-century winemaking. Jessica’s forefathers made “sour” wine for the Emperor of Austria, likely because it was dry when compared to normal wines that were sweet during this period. It became her vocation to redeem her family’s reputation in wine and so after a gap year working locally and internationally in vineyards, she completed a BSc Oenology and Viticulture degree at Stellenbosch University, South Africa.
Opportunities then led her into the world of Sales and Marketing at first, while she worked in the cellar each year during harvest time both locally and internationally. Jessica found her way back to making wine, by starting her own production part-time in 2015, with grapes from the incredible Elandskloof Pinot Noir vineyard.
More than a decade later, Saurwein Wines has become a leading boutique producer of cool climate Pinot Noir and Riesling. In 2021, Jessica and her husband, Roland Peens, moved to Waterval in the beautiful Stanford Valley on the Cape South Coast, 2 hours east of Cape Town. Waterval has a boutique cellar that is ‘off-grid’ and is a polyculture and regenerative agricultural farm, with long-term goals of fine wines and farming products.
“It is my aim to achieve energy and harmony simultaneously in the wines. The 'hands-off' winemaking approach allows me to be guided by the natural balance of the grapes.
I am fortunate to receive grapes from 7 unique vineyard sites. One is located on the foot slopes of the majestic Elandskloof mountains in the charming and picturesque Elandskloof Valley at 700m above sea level (Nom Pinot noir). The other Pinot noir vineyard and Nebbiolo vineyard are located in the Hemel-en-Aarde Ridge region, near Hermanus (Om Pinot noir & Boom Nebbiolo). This is one of South Africa’s finest terroirs. The Chi Riesling vineyards are located mainly in the fertile Elgin Valley, as well as in the Upper Hemel-en-Aarde valley, both regions offering ideal conditions for growing this energetic, cool-loving, cultivar.
Each vineyard is allowed to express itself to its fullest potential by enabling the naturally occurring yeast on the fruit to ferment the grapes. Overall the grapes are worked very gently if at all and the use of cooling of the must and ferments where needed enables the wines to be an optimal and most complex expression of all nuances of their terroir.”
– JESSICA SAURWEIN
The harvest sites
Currently the grapes are sourced from 4 different vineyard sites. All of the vineyards are no more than 100 km from the farm. All these sites have a cool climate in common, which accounts for high-quality grapes.
1. CHI RIESLING FIRST SITE, ELGIN
2. CHI RIESLING SECOND SITE, UPPER HEMEL-EN-AARDE VALLEY
3. NOM PINOT NOIR SITE, ELANDSKLOOF
4. OM PINOT NOIR & BOOM NEBBIOLO SITE, HEMEL-EN-AARDE RIDGE
5. HOME OF SAURWEIN
